The European Union and the United Kingdom have signed a landmark treaty abolishing land border controls between Spain and Gibraltar, bringing the British overseas territory into the Schengen free-travel zone for the first time. The ceremony at the Berlaymont building in Brussels was attended by EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and UK Europe minister Stephen Doughty.
The physical barrier at La Línea de la Concepción is set to be removed on 15 July, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expected to attend. The change will ease daily commutes for roughly 15,000 cross-border workers, about 10,000 of them Spanish nationals. Spain will conduct access controls at Gibraltar's port and airport on behalf of the EU.
The deal resolves six years of post-Brexit friction over a territory Britain has held since 1713, and whose residents voted 96 percent against leaving the EU in 2016.