Sánchez presides over the demolition of the Gibraltar border fence, “the last wall of continental Europe”

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, presided this Wednesday, July 15, over the demolition of the border fence in La Línea de la Concepción, marking the entry into force of the Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar. He stated that this act allows for the closure of “an open wound for the thousands of workers who crossed every day without knowing how long it would take them to reach their jobs.” “Today we are making history, good history, because today the last wall of continental Europe falls,” Sánchez declared to those present, including the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo; the Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph Garcia; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; the United Kingdom Ambassador to Spain, Alex Ellis; the Mayor of La Línea, Juan Franco; and the other mayors of the Campo de Gibraltar region, among other authorities. The ceremony took place one day after the signing of the Treaty in Brussels by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, and the British Minister of State for Europe, North America and the UK Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, in the presence of Fabián Picardo and José Manuel Albares. The agreement entered into provisional application at 00:00 on July 15. However, despite its provisional application, the text remains pending final ratification by the EU, which requires the approval of the Council and the consent of the European Parliament. As it falls under the exclusive competence of the Union, ratification by national parliaments is not required. “Today we are opening a new era for the Campo de Gibraltar, one of shared prosperity, a time of coexistence, of a shared future, between communities that have never turned their backs on each other but who now, without a doubt, will finally look ahead and move forward hand in hand,” Pedro Sánchez continued. “We are opening a new era, without a doubt, full of opportunities for the more than 300,000 Andalusians who live in the Campo de Gibraltar, all within a context of mutual benefit, exemplified by the more than 15,000 workers who cross the border every day, 70 percent of whom are Spanish nationals and who represent half of Gibraltar’s workforce,” he stated. “Borders are the scars of history, and a scar speaks of a wound that existed but eventually healed. A wall, on the other hand, is the conscious decision to keep that wound open,” the Prime Minister continued. “For decades, the border fence has been an open wound for the thousands of workers who crossed it every day, not knowing how long it would take them to get to their jobs, and of course, also for the families separated by a few meters of metal,” he recalled. According to Sánchez, “generations grew up thinking there was no possible solution,” but, “of course, there was a solution; it was only necessary to want to find it and also to have the commitment and the political will to make it a reality, and that is what we have done. We have done it by finally overcoming a way of understanding politics that confuses prudence with inaction, that mortgages the future by always looking to the past, and that thinks that entrenched conflicts are destined to remain unresolved.” “A fair agreement” “The agreement between the European Commission and the United Kingdom, signed yesterday in Brussels, with the decisive participation of the Kingdom of Spain, and which enters into force today, is a fair agreement that protects our interests and, moreover, far exceeds the objectives we set for ourselves during the negotiations,” the president affirmed. Under this agreement, he continued, “Spain will exercise Schengen powers at the port and airport of Gibraltar, guaranteeing the security of the European external border and full visa control.” Furthermore, he continued, “a customs union is established between the European Union and Gibraltar, and fiscal convergence is achieved indirectly, putting an end to historical imbalances.” “In the area of transport,” he added, “Gibraltar airport is opened to civilian traffic, with a shared management model, precisely to offer new opportunities for connectivity, tourism, investment, and the development of the entire Campo de Gibraltar region.” In any case, according to the president, the “main priority of the Spanish Government” has “always” been to safeguard “the rights of cross-border workers who crossed this border every day.” “Their unemployment benefits are guaranteed, their pensions will be protected and can be supplemented up to the Spanish minimum, and therefore, there will no longer be delays in receiving benefits due to administrative disorganization,” he assured. “Furthermore, any citizen of the European Union with legal residence in Spain will be able to work for an employer in Gibraltar, without discrimination and under equal conditions,” he added. “Finally, the agreement creates a social fund to promote cohesion and solidarity between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar,” a fund that “will be financed by the European Union and the United Kingdom and will contribute decisively to alleviating inequalities on both sides of this border with concrete actions in training and employment, to offer opportunities to the young people of this region,” he concluded.

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