The Minister for Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, has said that the Government will continue its extensive programme of engagement with industry following confirmation that the implementation date for the new treaty arrangements will now be 15th July 2026. 

In recent months, the Government has held a wide range of meetings with industry, engaging sector by sector in order to understand their concerns, identify practical issues and work through the preparations required ahead of implementation. 

Minister Arias-Vasquez said the additional time that has now been agreed is important and reflected what many businesses had been asking for, namely more time to prepare properly for the changes ahead. She added that the Government had been pleased to be able to secure that implementation date, while also ensuring that the transition to the revised timetable was handled smoothly and responsibly. 

As part of the next phase of this work, the Government will continue that engagement over the coming months at a pace that reflects the revised timetable. This will include further meetings with the relevant authorities in Spain, as well as the reconvening of the Business Transition Advisory Group, so that businesses can continue to receive updates, raise further questions and prepare in a practical and orderly way for implementation on 15th July. 

The Minister for Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “We have already done a great deal of work with industry, meeting with many different sectors across the economy to listen carefully, to explain what we can and to help businesses prepare for the changes ahead. 

“Many businesses made clear that they wanted more time, and that has now been achieved, whilst also making sure that the process was handled smoothly and responsibly. 

“We will now continue that work. I will shortly be reconvening the Business Transition Advisory Group and we will also continue our engagement sector by sector and reorganise the necessary meetings with the relevant customs authorities in Spain so that by 15th July everything that needs to be in place is in place.” 

“I want businesses to know that we will continue to work alongside them every step of the way. My door remains open to the Chamber, the GFSB and representative bodies across our business community. I can assure the business community that we will continue to share as much informationas we can, as and when we have it. Our focus remains on making sure that the treaty implementation is as smooth as possible for Gibraltar’s business community.”