UK, Spain Reach Full Agreement On Gibraltar Protocol In Brexit Deal - Sanchez

UK, Spain Reach Full Agreement on Gibraltar Protocol in Brexit Deal - Sanchez

Spain and the United Kingdom have successfully negotiated the issue of Gibraltar's future post-Brexit and agreed upon the text of a protocol to be included in the Withdrawal Agreement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) Spain and the United Kingdom have successfully negotiated the issue of Gibraltar's future post-Brexit and agreed upon the text of a protocol to be included in the Withdrawal Agreement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.

According to Brexit guidelines, once the United Kingdom leaves the union, no EU-UK agreement "may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without agreement" between London and Madrid. Bilateral talks between the two parties regarding Gibraltar have been underway since the beginning of the year.

"The Gibraltar protocol is fully negotiated with the UK government. We are now trying to agree on the four memorandums that are related to bilateral relations between Spain and the United Kingdom," Sanchez told a briefing, aired by the 24 Horas broadcaster, after the European Council summit.

According to the prime minister, the memorandums will envision cooperation on taxation, environment and security.

Gibraltar is the United Kingdom's overseas territory, located at the tip of the Iberian peninsula, that has a land border with Spain. Madrid, which considers Gibraltar its territory, suggested to establish a "joint sovereignty" over Gibraltar, and believes that Spanish sovereignty over this territory should be restored over time. In 1967 and 2002, local residents rejected the idea of joining Spain in referendums.