MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain and UK open new chapter as Gibraltar treaty takes effect and border fence falls

Beyond Gibraltar, the figures reflect a dense relationship: about 408,000 Britons reside in Spain and 427,000 Spaniards in the UK

Spain and the United Kingdom are seeking to elevate to strategic a bilateral relationship shaped for decades by the Gibraltar dispute, after the treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom on the territory entered provisional application in the early hours of Wednesday. The agreement, signed on Tuesday in Brussels, brought the dismantling of the fence that had separated the British territory from the Spanish municipality of La Línea de la Concepción since the early twentieth century.

The treaty effectively brings Gibraltar into the Schengen area: land border checks disappear and are instead carried out jointly by Spanish and British officers at the territory's airport and port, a system similar to that used for Eurostar trains. The measure benefits the roughly 15,000 workers who cross the border daily. The text was signed by European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, British Minister of State for Europe Stephen Doughty, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

The agreement does not alter the sovereignty dispute. Albares stressed that Spain's claim “does not change one iota,” while London says the treaty safeguards British sovereignty over the territory and the autonomous operation of its military facilities. Both governments thus maintain their long-standing positions. The Spanish foreign minister described the deal as the last piece needed to complete the Brexit puzzle and said it guarantees the free movement of people and goods and prevents fiscal and environmental distortions.

Beyond Gibraltar, the figures reflect a dense relationship: about 408,000 Britons reside in Spain and 427,000 Spaniards in the UK, which is the leading market for Spanish products outside the EU and the second destination for Spanish investment abroad after the United States. This year, Spain's Indra won the ticketing contract for London's public transport network, and Navantia is building three logistics ships for the Royal Navy.

The gap, according to analysts, lies in the political sphere: Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not visit Spain during his term, and after Brexit the two countries' leaders stopped meeting regularly in European institutions. Pedro Sánchez's visit to London in September last year led to the approval of a 48-point strategic framework to develop bilateral ties.

The new stage will be capped by a state visit from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, expected in the second half of 2027 and not yet scheduled. It would be the first by a British monarch to Spain since Elizabeth II's in 1988.