Overview
- The agreement signed in Brussels on Tuesday entered into force at midnight and on Wednesday routine passport checks were suspended, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to cross freely.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo took part in an official ceremony in La Línea as cranes removed the metal barrier that long marked the frontier.
- The deal gives Spain responsibility for Schengen controls at Gibraltar’s port and airport, establishes a customs union and fiscal convergence measures, and creates a joint social fund co‑financed by the EU and the UK.
- The change directly affects roughly 15,500 daily cross‑border workers who make up nearly half of Gibraltar’s workforce and aims to prevent payment and benefit delays while protecting pension rights.
- Officials say the frontier will rely more on cameras, facial‑recognition links and patrols for security, and the move closes a dispute rooted in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and the 1969 Franco border closure.