Spain and Gibraltar have officially eliminated border controls following the implementation of a new agreement on free movement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, described it as “the closing of an open wound” that has divided the border region for decades.
“For decades, the border fence was just that — an open wound for thousands of workers who crossed the border every day,” Sánchez said during a ceremony in La Línea de la Concepción, which marked the dismantling of part of the metal fence between the Spanish city and Gibraltar. The event was also attended by Fabian Picardo, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
At midnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, the new border crossing agreement took effect, following negotiations between Brussels and London after the United Kingdom exited the EU in 2020. Hundreds of people waving Spanish flags gathered at the checkpoint to witness the historic moment, and after the fence was dismantled, some of the first to cross the border did so on foot and by car.
Gibraltar, a British territory with a significant degree of self-government located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, has a population of about 40,000. Its economy heavily relies on approximately 15,500 workers who commute daily from Spain, and they will now be able to do so without the previous delays.
During peak hours, long queues often formed at the land border due to document checks, particularly during periods of tension between Spain and the United Kingdom, which governs the territory known as the Rock of Gibraltar.
Historical Tensions and the New Treaty
“Today we are making history, good history, and this is truly the case because today the last wall of continental Europe is falling (…) Today we are opening a new era for Campo de Gibraltar — an era of shared prosperity,” Sánchez stated. The new agreement aligns Gibraltar with the rules of the European free movement area, Schengen.
Despite claims about the “dismantling of the fence” (“derribo de la Verja”), the government of Gibraltar clarified that only the section where the pedestrian border crossing is located was removed. The remainder of the fence will be replaced with a new high-security system.
The Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled until 1975, closed the border in 1969 after residents of Gibraltar voted in a referendum to maintain British sovereignty. This closure lasted 13 years, separating families and disrupting the daily commute of thousands of workers. Since then, diplomatic tensions have repeatedly led to increased controls and lengthy queues at the border.
The economy of Gibraltar, which spans just under seven square kilometers, is primarily based on financial services and online betting, boasting one of the highest per capita income levels in the world. The territory has long served as a significant source of employment for residents of the neighboring Andalusian region of Campo de Gibraltar, which has historically faced one of the highest unemployment rates in Spain.
The United Kingdom left the EU without resolving the status of Gibraltar in its relations with the European bloc. At the end of 2020, Madrid and London reached a last-minute (in extremis) agreement on a temporary regime that allowed the continuation of free movement between Spain and Gibraltar, but the signing of a final agreement was delayed for several years.
Spain ceded Gibraltar to the British crown under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but it has never relinquished its claims to sovereignty over the territory, which continues to be a source of tension between Madrid and London.
