Gibraltar hard border possible warns Spain
Spain has warned the UK of a hard border with Gibraltar unless a “generous” post-Brexit deal is accepted. The deal would see Spanish troops stationed on the rock.
Talks are continuing between Madrid and London over what to do with Gibraltar, a small enclave on the southern side of Spain, that the UK has ruled since the 19th century. EU border rules are coming later in 2024 raising the issue once again.
After Brexit, both Spain and Britain agreed in 2020 that Gibraltar would continue to be part of the Schengen passport-free European zone before a permanent solution can be found. Under the current deal being proposed, Spain has insisted that it should be allowed to station its own security forces at the Gibraltar airport and port.
But Gibraltar has said that this would be unacceptable. Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of the Rock, has said that he would be against “Spanish boots on the ground.”
Without free movement, UK citizens living there would only be able to spend 90 days in Spain every 180 days. The Spanish foreign minister has stated that while the new EU digital border system was not connected with any agreement over Gibraltar, it would still affect people either side of the border.
The new rules, coming into effect in November, would mean that non-EU citizens entering the Schengen will have to give their fingerprints, have their face scanned, and answer questions about their stay. Passports would no longer be stamped manually with fingerprints and face scans being registered instead.
Jose Manuel Albares, the foreign minister of Spain, said that it was up to the British government to choose whether it wants to restrict movement for people in Gibraltar or accept “the generous and balanced deal on offer.”
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