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| Controls between Spain and Gibraltar ended |
| Brusel, 15.07.2026 |
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| The European Union and the United Kingdom signed an agreement on Tuesday to end border controls between Spain and Gibraltar. The agreement, signed on behalf of the European Commission by European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič, will benefit thousands of cross-border workers, reports TASR.
The AFP news agency recalled that thousands of workers cross between Spain and Gibraltar every day. From Wednesday, July 15, they will no longer face border controls. Around 40,000 people live in the small self-governing British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, but Gibraltar relies on around 15,500 cross-border workers from Spain, who make up almost half of its workforce.
During rush hour, long lines of cars often formed at the land border due to document checks, especially during periods of tension between the United Kingdom and Spain, which claims sovereignty over Gibraltar.
According to the agreement reached between the EU and the British after Brexit, border controls between Gibraltar and Spain were to be abolished, which will indeed happen from Wednesday.
Šefčovič signed the agreement together with the British Secretary of State for Europe, North America and the British Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, in the presence of the Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picard.
Manuel Albares Bueno said in a radio interview before the signing of the agreement that the agreement “opens a new era” for Gibraltar and the adjacent region of Spain will create “huge opportunities” for both sides.
AFP reported that the smooth border would make it easier for Gibraltarian businesses to recruit and retain workers who live in Spain, many of whom had been put off by delays at the border.
The deal would also bring Gibraltar into line with the rules of Europe's Schengen travel area, which allows for free travel without the need to show a passport.
However, travellers arriving from outside the Schengen area will still have to show their passports to officials at Gibraltar's airport and port.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is due to visit the border zone between Gibraltar and Spain on Wednesday, where old wire fencing has been removed in recent weeks. He described the new deal as breaking down the "last wall" within the EU, creating a zone of shared prosperity, he said.
Picardo told AFP that the agreement meant removing “the physical barriers of a bygone era of disputes” while retaining “the keys to our own doors.”
AFP recalled that the border was closed by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1969 after Gibraltar, which relies on London for defense and foreign policy, voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the United Kingdom in a referendum. The border was closed for 13 years, cutting off the daily movement of workers from Spain to Gibraltar and dividing many families.
Gibraltar, which covers an area of less than seven square kilometers, has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and an economy based on financial services and online gaming.
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