Pedro Sánchez qualifies the agreement on Gibraltar as "historic," which "opens a new era of shared prosperity"

LondonShortly after midday this Wednesday, a couple of telescopic cranes lifted and removed the fences of one of the "last walls of continental Europe", in the words of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, which separated Gibraltar from La Línea de la Concepción. The ceremonial act has put an end to a negotiation process of almost five years between the European Commission and London, since the United Kingdom made Brexit effective (2020) and the status of the British territory was left in limbo caused by the divorce from the Union.

Sánchez has described the demolition of the fence as "historic" and assured that "a new era of shared prosperity" is opening for the more than 300,000 inhabitants of the Campo de Gibraltar and for the population of the Rock. The Campo de Gibraltar has historically been a "meeting point between seas, cultures and continents", recalled the head of the executive, who also highlighted the role and benefits for the more than 15,000 cross-border workers who until now crossed the border daily – of whom about 70% are Spanish – and who represent approximately half of the workforce of the Rock.

The double reunion ceremony, the one at midnight and this Wednesday midday, took place hours after the United Kingdom and the European Union signed the new framework for relations with Gibraltar in Brussels. Without this agreement, the British exit from the Union would have forced the establishment of a strict external border, with serious consequences for the economy of the Rock and for the thousands of workers who access it daily from Spain. For the moment, however, the treaty has entered into force provisionally until final ratification by the European Parliament and the House of Commons.

Schengen Controls

The main points of the agreement confirm that Spain will assume the application of Schengen controls at the port and airport of Gibraltar, a customs union is established between the European Union and the Rock, and a fiscal convergence process is opened to correct "historical imbalances", according to Sánchez. Gibraltar airport will be opened to civilian traffic under a shared management model to promote tourism, investment, and economic development for the entire region.

Sánchez has advocated for the value of dialogue and stated that "politics achieves its highest dignity when it stops managing inherited problems and finds the courage to resolve them". Without renouncing the Spanish claim over Gibraltar's sovereignty – Gibraltar has not renounced its either "britishness–, has defended that the negotiations have allowed to reach a beneficial agreement for both parties, who have recognized that the fall of the fence turns "a space of separation into a space of shared prosperity" and marks the beginning of a new stage "full of opportunities and enthusiasm" for the region.

Hours before the government president's intervention, at midnight, thousands of people were already celebrating the opening of the Gibraltar border. The police officers left their checkpoints and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, and the mayor of La Línea, Juan Franco, shook hands in a meeting that symbolizes the new stage in the relationship between the British territory and Spain.

The opening coincided with the classification of the Spanish national team for the World Cup final, which contributed to the festive atmosphere. And according to testimonies disseminated by the English press this Wednesday, the usual shouts from the Spanish right and far-right of "Gibraltar, Spanish!", have been replaced by others equally nationalist, in this case with the excuse of football:"I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish". The president of the government has also referred to it, comparing the illusion of the possibility "of a second star" on Sunday in New York with the one generated by the agreement.

Biometric controls for Britons

The removal of the fence does not, however, imply the removal of controls for everyone. Citizens of the Schengen area will be able to enter Gibraltar freely, while Britons will have to undergo biometric checks of the European Entry/Exit System (EES), with fingerprint and passport verification when they arrive by air in the Rock. This point continues to generate concern among some British sectors due to the implications for sovereignty and for possible delays.

A witness mentioned by the BBC, Brian Brophy, a 72-year-old Gibraltar resident, recalled that he had also been present when Spain reopened the border in 1985, after sixteen years of closure decreed by Francisco Franco's regime. "This conflict is 300 years old and it won't end tonight," he commented. "But I hope it's a step forward; it's time for the two communities to integrate."

The Vice-President of the European Commission and one of the negotiators of the Brexit agreement, Maros Sefcovic, has described the treaty as "historic". The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, also defined it as "the last piece of the Brexit puzzle", and from the EU capital assured that it opens "a new era" for Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar, although he insisted that Spain does not give up "a single comma" of its sovereignty claim over the Rock. In practice, the treaty has shelved this issue sine die and, for once, Madrid has taken a pragmatic stance.

For his part, Fabian Picardo stated that it is "one of the most significant days in Gibraltar's modern history", because the agreement "protects the Rock, safeguards our sovereignty and opens the way to a more secure and prosperous future". According to the chief minister, the border will go from being an element of division to becoming "a space of cooperation and shared opportunities".

In London, however, not everyone sees it the same way. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, a hardline MP, has warned that the agreement will be remembered as "a model of weak negotiation," and has stated that it represents "a significant step in the dismantling of centuries of British sovereignty." The leader of the Reform Party, Nigel Farage, has described it as "a regrettable surrender" and has stated that the opening of the border will mean that "Gibraltar will never be the same again."

It is not surprising, either, that the Spanish far-right rejects the agreement. In mid-May, Vox managed to get the Joint Committee for the EU to approve a non-binding proposal urging the Spanish government to reject the agreement. Santiago Abascal's party considers that the treaty harms the interests of Spain, the Campo de Gibraltar, and Andalusia, and maintains that it is contrary to the Constitution because it does not start from the recognition of Spanish sovereignty over the Rock. MP José María Sánchez has described the situation as "a national disgrace."