Walter Finch
GIBRALTAR has moved to reassure residents that it will maintain complete control over its border operations under the new UK-EU trade and mobility agreement.
It comes after concerns that the ‘dual check’ system would result in Spanish ‘boots on the ground’ in sovereign British Gibraltar territory – a red line for negotiators.
But the Rock’s government has insisted that Gibraltar will retain ‘FULL control over its own border checks at its external borders as happens today’, according to official statements released following the landmark deal between the UK and the European Union.
However, questions remain about the practical implementation of the agreement, particularly regarding who will actually be manning the checkpoints and conducting security operations along Gibraltar’s frontiers.
Spain’s National Police union JUPOL celebrated the deal and warned that Spanish officers must maintain ‘exclusive control’ over operations at Gibraltar’s points of entry.
The union has made clear it will not accept ‘any type of subterfuge that implies a transfer of sovereignty to Frontex or other international agencies’ in what it considers an exclusively Spanish competence.
According to the agreement, Spain will take responsibility for passport controls at Gibraltar’s port and airport alongside Gibraltar counterparts, with the establishment of what officials term ‘dual border controls’ covering both the British territory’s and Schengen requirements.
This arrangement will see Policia Nacional officers conducting security checks at the Rock’s key entry points, raising confusion about whether this crosses Gibraltar’s red lines.
Under the new arrangements, controls at the land border with Spain will be eliminated entirely, allowing what officials describe as ‘fluid movement’ between Gibraltar and its Spanish neighbour.
The system mirrors arrangements across the 29 countries within the Schengen area, where travellers can move seamlessly between nations without border formalities.
Officials pointed out that Gibraltar residents who have travelled between Portugal and Spain will already be familiar with such arrangements, where crossing between the two countries involves no passport checks or delays.
Crucially, the agreement maintains passport controls between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom itself, meaning the new mobility arrangements will have no direct impact on Britain’s own border security or immigration policies.
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The deal has been hailed by negotiators as a ‘balanced, pragmatic and mutually respectful solution’ that will pave the way for enhanced freedom of movement for both goods and people.
Officials believe this could create the foundation for what they term a ‘future zone of shared prosperity’ benefiting both Gibraltar and the wider Campo de Gibraltar region in southern Spain.
British sovereignty over the Rock remains unchanged under the agreement, according to official assurances.
Negotiators have promised this will be made ‘abundantly clear’ in the final treaty text when it is published, addressing concerns that have dogged previous discussions about Gibraltar’s future status.
However, not everyone is celebrating the historic agreement.
Former Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García Margallo, once Gibraltar’s bête noire, has condemned the deal as a ‘total surrender’ and ‘absolute renunciation’ of Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar.
“We are the only country in the world that does not control its borders,” he told El Confidencial, describing the agreement as a ‘missed opportunity’ for Spain following Brexit.
Margallo warned that ‘all English companies that want to establish themselves in the post-Brexit EU will now go to Gibraltar,’ cementing the Rock’s position as a gateway to European markets.
The former minister, who served from 2011 to 2016, dismissed arguments that the deal provides employment solutions for the 10,000 Spanish workers who cross the border daily, saying ‘the fourth largest economy in the eurozone should be able to provide a solution for that number of people.’
The agreement comes after years of complex negotiations following Brexit, which left Gibraltar’s relationship with Spain and the broader European Union in limbo.
The Rock’s economy, heavily dependent on cross-border trade and labour movement, faced significant disruption if no deal had been reached.
For the thousands of Spanish workers who cross the frontier daily, and Gibraltar businesses that rely on seamless trade links, the agreement promises to restore the free movement that existed before Brexit complicated cross-border relationships.
However, the devil will be in the detail when the full treaty text is eventually published, particularly regarding the operational aspects of border management and exactly who will be responsible for security checks at Gibraltar’s frontiers.
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