HM Government of Gibraltar and His Majesty's Government have today signed the UK-Gibraltar Concordat in Brussels. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo KC MP signed on behalf of Gibraltar. The Minister of State for Europe, the Rt Hon Stephen Doughty MP, signed on behalf of the United Kingdom.

The signing took place at Ducale, the residence of the British Ambassador to the European Union, ahead of the formal Treaty ceremony at the Berlaymont building in Brussels.

The Concordat is a bilateral agreement between the two British governments. It sets out how the UK and Gibraltar will give effect to their respective obligations under the UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, including how the Committees established under it are going to operate.

The Concordat delivers the "double lock" on termination.

Consistent with its principle of 'nothing about Gibraltar without Gibraltar', the UK Government will not, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, take the necessary steps with a view of terminating the Agreement unless termination is supported by:

(a) A motion carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the total number of Members of the Gibraltar Parliament; or

(b) A simple majority of the votes cast in a referendum of all persons entitled to vote in elections to the Gibraltar Parliament.

These protections fulfil the requirements of the Gibraltar Parliament's cross-party unanimous motion, which made Treaty ratification conditional on the Concordat's satisfactory conclusion and required any future decision on termination to be put to the people of Gibraltar in a referendum or via a 3/4 majority in Parliament.

While the UK is ultimately responsible in international law for compliance with the agreement, under the Gibraltar Constitution and Gibraltar law, HM Government of Gibraltar is responsible for implementing and enforcing everything on the ground, including border checks and surveillance, residence and visas, customs, law enforcement, AML, social security and more.

The Concordat is without prejudice to the UK's responsibility for the external relations of Gibraltar. The UK remains responsible for defence and the Governor for internal security.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, said:

"The Concordat is the bedrock on which this Treaty will rest for Gibraltar. It delivers, in black and white, what our Parliament and people required as the condition of their support: that nothing would ever be done under the Treaty contrary to the expressed wishes of the people of Gibraltar.

"I want to thank Minister Doughty and his team at the FCDO for the care and good faith they have brought to these negotiations. I also thank the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, and the Attorney General, Michael Llamas, who have been at the heart of securing every word of this Concordat in Gibraltar's interests."

The Concordat follows the model of the 2018 UK-Gibraltar Concordat concluded under the Withdrawal Agreement, which was signed by the Chief Minister and then Deputy Prime Minister David Lidington.

CONCORDAT

Minister Doughty Letter