Gibraltar (AFP) – A steady stream of pedestrians and vehicles crossed the border between Spain and Gibraltar on Wednesday as an agreement allowing free movement across the frontier came into force.
Issued on: 15/07/2026 - 17:28
3 min Reading time
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and three former chief ministers removed the final section of the frontier fence shortly before midnight in a symbolic gesture marking the end of border controls between the tiny British territory and Spain.Soon after, crowds crossed freely between Spain's La Linea de la Concepcion and Gibraltar in both directions. Many people held up their phones to record the moment.The flow eventually waned but picked up again during the morning rush hour on Wednesday as workers crossed over from the Spanish side."I woke up this morning and I didn't have to carry my ID anymore," Maria Jesus Walda, a 34-year-old civil engineer, told AFP as she headed into Gibraltar."That is the change in principle. Now we'll see how it evolves."Gibraltar is home to only about 40,000 people but relies on some 15,500 workers who cross from Spain every day -- nearly half its workforce.In the past, long queues formed at the border as documents were checked, particularly during periods of strained relations between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar's sovereignty.The border was closed by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1969 after Gibraltar voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to remain British.The closure, which lasted 13 years, cut off the daily movement of workers from Spain into Gibraltar and separated families.'Drastic change'"For decades, the border fence was exactly that, an open wound for the thousands of workers who crossed every day," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday during a visit to La Linea.He was speaking after workers used a crane to remove the metal gates that had long separated La Linea from Gibraltar.Leisure visits by people crossing both sides of the border are also affected.
