New era for Gibraltar with removal of 118-year-old border controls with Spain
Gibraltar is set to remove its 118-year-old border controls with Spain, facilitating easier movement for thousands of daily commuters. This change follows a post-Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU to resolve unique territorial challenges.
Why it matters
The removal of the border marks a significant shift in post-Brexit relations and provides economic relief to the local population.
Image caption, Shilpi Chotrani, who commutes from Spain to Gibraltar every day, can't wait for the removal of the border
Every weekday morning, Shilpi Chotrani rides her bicycle from her home in the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción to Gibraltar. It's a short journey but it means crossing an international border.
A British Overseas Territory of around 40,000 inhabitants, Gibraltar has a border control for those entering and leaving.
That means that during the morning and afternoon rush hours, when around 15,000 Spaniards who work in the territory cross the frontier, there can be long, time-consuming queues.
"The fact that there is a border between us is ridiculous," says Chotrani, who has a job in human resources in a Gibraltarian shipping and tourism company. "I don't think a fence should separate people from one place and another."
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