The European Union formally approved the UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar on Wednesday, 1 July, completing the final internal procedure required before the European Commission can sign the agreement ahead of the planned 15 July date for its provisional application.
The Council's decision marks the last formal EU step before the bloc is able to conclude the agreement.
Although the treaty must still be ratified by both the UK Parliament and the European Parliament, it can be applied provisionally once it has been signed, allowing its provisions to take effect while the ratification process is completed.
The Council's Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) had already endorsed both the treaty text and the decisions on its signing and provisional application in April.
Formal approval by the Council, however, depended on the completion of a legal and linguistic review of the treaty across the EU's 24 official languages.
Following the conclusion of that review, COREPER earlier this week approved the decisions on signature and provisional application and authorised the use of the written procedure for the Council's final adoption, according to an EU official.
The decision was formally adopted on Wednesday after all 27 member states completed the written procedure, with a short extension granted to the deadline for responses. Coordinating written approval from every member state within the required timeframe had presented a significant logistical exercise, the official said.
With the EU's internal procedures now complete, attention turns to arranging the formal signing of the treaty before 15 July.
As the agreement is between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the signing is expected to take place either in London or Brussels. It is anticipated that the UK will be represented by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper or Europe Minister Stephen Doughty, while EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is expected to sign on behalf of the European Union.
Selecting a date remains dependent on coordinating the schedules of senior representatives from the UK, the European Commission, Gibraltar and Spain, all of whom are expected to attend what is widely regarded as a landmark moment in establishing the legal framework for Gibraltar's future relationship with Spain and the wider European Union.
Further details on the venue, timing and other practical arrangements for the signing ceremony are expected to be announced in the coming days.