What has the PSOE said about the Gibraltar treaty?
Short answer
The PSOE leads the Spanish government that negotiated the 2026 UK/EU Treaty in relation to Gibraltar, and defends it as opening a new stage of shared prosperity for the Campo de Gibraltar while keeping Spain's position on sovereignty intact.
Detailed answer
The PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) leads the current Spanish government under Pedro Sánchez, which negotiated the treaty. See our Spanish election tracker.
The PSOE's record on the treaty
- Wednesday 11 June 2025: Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced the final political agreement.
- Thursday 26 February 2026: the Government said the treaty removes the fence, gives Spain the Schengen checks at the port and airport, keeps Spain's sovereignty position intact, and gives Spain a central role, including the initiative to suspend, apply safeguards or terminate.
- May 2026: PSOE deputy Vicente Montávez defended the treaty in the Joint Committee for the European Union.
- Tuesday 14 July 2026: the Foreign Ministry marked the signature in Brussels and the start of application the following day.
- Thursday 8 October 2026: Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, PSOE leader in Cádiz and mayor of San Roque, defended the treaty, said the election will decide Spain's relationship with Gibraltar, and said a PP government with Vox could put at risk the flow of traffic across the frontier for about 15,000 cross-border workers.
- Wednesday 14 October 2026: the PSOE's provincial executive in Cádiz confirmed José Manuel Albares, the Foreign Minister who led the treaty negotiation, as head of its Congress list in Cádiz, the province that borders Gibraltar. Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, who heads the party's Senate list there, described the agreement as historic and said it means there is no frontier today.
The Gibraltar Government's view
Sunday 21 June 2026: Chief Minister Fabian Picardo described the relationship between the Spanish and Gibraltar governments as the best there has been between them.
Parliamentary vote
The Government has not put the treaty to a vote in the Spanish Parliament, on the basis that it is an EU agreement rather than a bilateral treaty.
The PSOE's 2026 manifesto has not yet been published, and this answer will be updated when it is.