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Gibraltar to remove border controls with Spain starting July 15

The change is expected to ease daily cross-border queues for thousands of Spanish workers and potentially boost employment in nearby La Línea de la Concepción, where unemployment is close to 30%.

Reported · Written up by our desk · North America

Gibraltar is scheduled to remove border controls with Spain starting July 15, enabling freedom of movement between the British Overseas Territory and the Spanish mainland, after an EU and UK-negotiated arrangement following the UK exit from the bloc, BBC Business reports.

For commuters, the shift is intended to reduce disruption at rush hours, when about 15,000 Spaniards who work in Gibraltar cross the frontier and can face long queues under current border checks.

Local officials and residents say the economic stakes are high. Gibraltar has a high per capita income, while La Línea de la Concepción is described as one of Spain’s most deprived areas, with unemployment close to 30%, and the mayor says many businesses rely heavily on Gibraltar demand, with around a third of an average company’s income coming from clients in the territory.

Supporters of the change also point to the long history of border restrictions, including a blockade imposed by Spain in the past and a border fence dating back to 1908, as the region looks to rebalance economic opportunity on both sides of the frontier.

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