Gibraltar border fence with Spain removed under new EU treaty

The removal of the physical border, effective from Tuesday midnight, allows for greater freedom of movement, a critical development for Gibraltar's economy, which relies heavily on the approximately 15,000 Spaniards who commute daily for work. Without such an agreement, Gibraltar could have faced a hard land border with full passport checks, posing significant economic risks.

Under the new treaty, Gibraltar is effectively integrated into the EU's Schengen free travel area. Entry and exit checks at Gibraltar's airport and port will be managed jointly by UK and Spanish border officials, a system likened to arrangements at Eurostar stations. This move is particularly significant given that 96% of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Travelers entering Gibraltar from outside the Schengen area will be subject to the EU Entry-Exit System (EES), which utilizes biometric data collection. In conjunction with the border changes, Gibraltar has bolstered its security infrastructure, installing live facial recognition cameras at entry points and increasing police and customs resources, with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo describing the territory as a 'digital fortress'. Despite these advancements, the treaty does not resolve Spain's long-standing sovereignty claim over Gibraltar, a territory ceded to Britain in 1713.