Large crowds gathered near the Gibraltar‑Spain border overnight into Wednesday to witness the removal of the fence that had separated the British overseas territory from Spain for 118 years. The symbolic demolition took place at midnight, the same moment a new treaty took effect, ending border checks and incorporating Gibraltar into the European Union’s Schengen Area of free movement. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo pulled the fence down with a rope, and the staged ceremony was immediately followed by jubilant crowds on both sides.
The agreement—nearly a decade in the making since the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU—means that goods and people can cross the frontier without the administrative delays that had defined the relationship for more than a century. Economically, the move is expected to strengthen Gibraltar’s strategic link to mainland Spain and bolster trade flows. Politically, it marks a key post‑Brexit milestone, underscoring the importance of bilateral cooperation within a changing European context.
