Specialised Committee on Gibraltar holds its first meeting

The Protocol on Gibraltar was included in the Withdrawal Agreement given the importance of this area for the European Union and its special characteristics.

The two parties reviewed the degree of compliance with the obligations contained in the Protocol on Gibraltar and in the four bilateral memoranda of understanding signed between Spain and the United Kingdom on the rights of citizens, police and customs cooperation, the environment and tobacco.

More specifically, as regards citizens and workers, the two parties analysed the practical measures necessary so that they may fully benefit from the rights recognised in the Withdrawal Agreement, including facilities for their correct identification and register. They also exchanged views on the obligation to maintain employment rights and all types of rights of cross-border workers, and on the situation of the pending reimbursement of the amounts paid out in advance by Spain for the payment of unemployment benefits.

In addition, the two parties analysed ways to improve police and customs cooperation in order to make it more effective on the ground in the fight against crime in the area, including the problem of the illegal trade in tobacco. The meeting was also used to review the schedule of tobacco price rises that the authorities of Gibraltar undertook to implement within the framework of the agreements reached, which establish a deadline of 30 June 2020 for this commitment to be realised.

Lastly, as regards the International Agreement on Taxation and the Protection of Financial Interests between Spain and the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltar, the two parties shared information on the state of the situation of their respective parliamentary ratification procedures, which they both hope will continue in the autumn, or earlier if possible.

The European Union and the United Kingdom agreed that the next Committee meeting would take place in November.

This meeting demonstrates the commitment by the European Union to the area making up the towns and villages of the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar [District of Campo de Gibraltar] and the guarantee that in the withdrawal process of the United Kingdom from the EU all the latter's interests will be respected, particularly on tax, environmental and security matters, and specifically in relation to the rights of citizens and workers.

Non official translation