The 1.2km fence dividing Spain and Gibraltar is expected to be dismantled in January 2026, scrapping daily checks for the 15,000 frontier workers who cross into the Rock from Spain, El País reported.

Dubbed “the last wall in Western Europe” by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, the frontier’s removal is the centrepiece of a broader post-Brexit deal reached in June between London, Brussels, and Madrid.

The dismantling of la Verja (the fence), which separates Gibraltar from the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción in Cádiz province, still requires a draft accord to be finalised and approved by the European Commission. Albares announced the text would be “fully drafted by autumn.”

The agreement will scrap ID checks for the 15,000 frontier workers residing in Spain who cross daily into the Rock, as it is informally known, which is crucial for the exclave’s economy.

Dual Spanish/Schengen and British passport controls will remain in Gibraltar’s port and airports.

The deal also removes checks on goods circulating between both territories and lays the foundation for future trade, security, and fiscal cooperation between the EU, Spanish and Gibraltar authorities.

In Madrid, the government saw the deal as a historic agreement to “guarantee the future prosperity of the entire region. The opposition, meanwhile, condemned it as a political sell-out and a relinquishment of Spain’s territorial claims over the disputed enclave.

Spain’s centre-right Popular Party “will not cease to demand sovereignty over Gibraltar,” said party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, adding that any agreement on Gibraltar “must be backed by parliament.”

Spain ceded Gibraltar to the British in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, and has regularly attempted to regain control of the territory, first by military means and then through diplomacy.

In a 2002 referendum, however, almost 99% of Gibraltarians voted against any deal involving shared sovereignty with Spain.

After the summer recess, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will kick off his agenda with a visit to London to meet bilaterally with UK Premier Keir Starmer, in which Gibraltar is expected to be at the heart of talks.

The foreign ministry and the PP did not reply to Euractiv’s request for comment at the time of publication. 

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