Spain and the United Kingdom reached an "agreement-in-principle" on the status of post-Brexit Gibraltar, Spanish Foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, announced on Thursday in Madrid.
Speaking at a press conference, González Laya said that the Schengen agreements will now apply to Gibraltar.
The Spanish FM added that Gibraltar will enter into the Schengen Area, which allows free movement and no border controls within 26 European countries.
"The practical result of the deal is that the border [separating Spain and Gibraltar] will be torn down," she said
Spain, as a European member state, will be in charge of Gibraltar’s border control in the country’s port and airport. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) will also be involved, the minister added.
González Laya said a new treaty should be signed within months. In the meantime, there will be "flexible border controls" that should not have major effects on citizens of either side of the border.
The agreement came just hours before the UK is set to leave Europe. Without a bilateral deal, the small British territory faced a "hard Brexit".
The deal will not come into effect immediately, as it still has to pass through European and British institutions.
