Sanchez and Picardo watch as border gates are removed 

Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday became the first serving Spanish Prime Minister to visit the border with Gibraltar, describing the frontier as “the last wall of continental Europe” as iron gates were removed on both sides. 

Watched by Campo mayors and other dignitaries on the Spanish side and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and his team on the Gibraltar side, the gates were lifted on off their hinges, first in Spain, then in Gibraltar. 

Despite wide speculation that he would enter Gibraltar, the Spanish Prime Minister stayed on his side of the frontier despite the historical weight of the occasion, avoiding stepping foot on the isthmus. 

The gates removed, Mr Sanchez addressed guests at a short event in the car park of the former Guardia Civil facility at the border, the Rock as his backdrop. 

The Spanish Prime Minster travelled to the border by plane to Malaga followed by helicopter to the missile base behind La Linea and car on the final leg.  

On Wednesday morning, just hours after immigration controls had been lifted at midnight the previous night, the border was locked down under tight security for the high-profile visit, journalists and photographers herded into three separate pens. 

Mr Picardo, who walked into the border precinct accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia to hear Mr Sanchez’s address, warmly greeted the Spanish Prime Minister as they met. 

Among the guests were Campo and regional politicians and, representing the UK Government, Sir Alex Ellis, the British ambassador to Spain. 

On Tuesday “the last wall of continental Europe falls”, Mr Sanchez said, adding that while Gibraltar and La Linea had “never lived with their backs to one another”, now they would walk “hand in hand.” 

“Someone once said that borders are the scars of history, and they were probably right, because a scar speaks of a wound that existed but eventually closed,” Mr Sanchez said. 

“A wall, on the other hand, is the conscious decision to keep that wound open.” 

“I believe it is important to remember this because, for decades, the border fence was exactly that, an open wound for the thousands of workers who crossed every day without knowing how long it would take them to reach their workplaces,” he added. 

“It was also, of course, an open wound for families separated by a few metres of metal and for generations upon generations who grew up believing that there was no possible solution.” 

Mr Sanchez said all that had been needed to heal that wound was “political will and sufficient courage to make it happen”, thanking all involved in the process including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who will be succeeded on Monday by Andy Burnham, Mr Albares. EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and, sitting in the front row, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. 

“We have done so by finally overcoming a way of understanding politics that confuses caution with inaction, that mortgages the future by always looking to the past and that believes entrenched conflicts are destined to remain open,” he said. 

Mr Sanchez, reflecting that the Pillars of Hercules were once the boundaries of the known world, said this region had always been a gateway for encounters between “seas, cultures and continents”. 

He said “conflicts are not there to be managed indefinitely, but to be resolved.” 

“I believe that is the best defence we can make of good politics, which we are today affirming and putting into practice.” 

Talking to the Chronicle on the Spanish side of the border after the event, Mr Picardo reflected on the “clearly historic moment”. 

“I mean in politics, perhaps that word is overused too often, but this is history in the making,” he said. 

“And the reality is that today Gibraltar is a better place as a result of what we have shown here with this act.” 

“As a result of the signing of the treaty yesterday and the fluidity that we saw last night and the emotions that we saw last night, well, Gibraltar, Gibraltar is a better place. 

“And last night I thought what I saw was an explosion of human empathy.” 

“I saw people wanting to be together, that they no longer wanted that obstacle to their ability to move and love each other and hold each other and celebrate each other.” 

“And if there were for one moment feelings that there perchance that we might not like that, it all ended when people blended together in that show of mutual respect, mutual affection, love.” 

“And that is the future. And people are showing us the way.” 

The first day of treaty implementation was not without its headaches though. 

On Tuesday night, just hours before the arrival of the first of four flights due on day one, the EES system at the airport was no functioning properly. 

That led to long waits as arriving passengers were processed manually. 

“It was a bit chaotic,” one British passenger told the Chronicle as she and her daughter headed to Spain after landing, adding it took them almost an hour to get through. 

In another episode, a Spanish taxi driver entered Gibraltar and prompted an angry reaction from local taxi drivers. The treaty does not allow for cross-border service, including taxi rides. 

The most noticeable impact though was perhaps as a result of the border event itself, which effectively shut down cross-border traffic and caused gridlock on both sides of the border, precisely on the day that a new treaty with border fluidity at its heart entered provisional implementation. 

Police Commissioner Owain Richards had a message for people concerned that the changes at the border could impact on safety and security in Gibraltar.

"A physical border doesn't define security,” he said.

“We have a digital infrastructure with CCTV with facial recognition, automatic number plate recognition.”

“We have cooperation with our Spanish colleagues.”

“We have an increased police presence here at the frontier and at the airport.”

“And we're working very closely with all the partner agencies to deliver and to ensure that Gibraltar is one of the safest places to live work and visit in the world.”

Mr Richards praised his officers for their work policing the frontier events over the past two days with “tact, good humour, discretion and absolute professionalism”.