From the date of withdrawal, the United Kingdom will lose its status as a Member State of the European Union and will be considered a third country.

Following Brexit, the European Union will respect the acquired rights of those persons who, relying on the European project, had made use of the free movement of workers up to the date of withdrawal; future rights that can be acquired on the basis of work carried out before that date will also be guaranteed.

On 25 November 2018, European leaders reached an agreement on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, but its approval by the British Parliament is still pending (the main milestones of the negotiations can be found on the Commission's website).

For the Government of Spain, the issue of citizens' rights has been one of the main priorities throughout the negotiations. A significant number of Spaniards have worked or are currently working in the United Kingdom, and a community particularly affected would be that of frontier workers operating in Gibraltar.

Therefore, in the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without ratifying the Withdrawal Agreement, the Government of Spain has determined the urgent need to adopt legislative measures in order to offer maximum legal security to citizens who have worked in the United Kingdom before its exit, so that in matters of Social Security they are guaranteed all their rights; and specifically so that, after the Brexit, workers residing in Spain who travel daily to work in Gibraltar may continue to have access to benefits for their work activity carried out in Gibraltar.