Gibraltar government approves treaty for ratification

The Gibraltar Cabinet has approved the text of the treaty between the United Kingdom and the European Union governing Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU, giving the green light for the ratification process to proceed.

Ministers were guided through the treaty and its associated documents by Attorney General Michael Llamas during six lengthy Cabinet meetings held over the past two weeks. The discussions examined the different sections of the agreement in detail.

With Cabinet approval now secured, the final text will be presented to the Gibraltar Parliament on an amendable motion for debate. Parliamentary approval will signal to the United Kingdom that it can proceed with its own domestic procedures to ratify the treaty.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo KC MP said: “I am delighted that the Cabinet has given the green light to the ratification of the treaty. There will be a full debate in the Gibraltar Parliament. The Cabinet held six lengthy sessions, each over three hours, to comprehensively go through the letter of the text. Ministers were already aware of all the issues in the Treaty, as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have been briefing and updating the Cabinet regularly on all issues.”