Spain PM Pedro Sanchez postpones Gibraltar visit after Almeria fire

PEDRO Sanchez will no longer visit the Gibraltar border on Monday to mark its historic removal.

The Spanish prime minister had been due to travel to the border town of La Linea de la Concepcion alongside foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares for an event celebrating the signing of the post-Brexit treaty.

However, that will no longer happen in light of the devastating wildfire in Almeria, which has killed at least 12 people and left a further 23 missing – including British expats.

Sanchez and Albares will instead travel to the frontier on Wednesday.

That is the day the land border between the Rock and Spain will officially cease to function under the current system.

READ MORE: ‘All is in the air’: As the border with Spain begins to come down, Gibraltar’s residents are uncertain about what the future will bring

“This is an understandable postponement of the event as a result of the ongoing tragedy resulting from the horrific fires we are seeing in Spain,” Gibraltar chief minister Fabian Picardo told GBC.

“I have expressed my condolences to the Spanish government. Next week, we will continue with the formal events in Brussels on Tuesday and will look forward to the moment the provisional application takes effect as well as the ceremonial aspects that will accompany this.”

The UK and the EU will sign a long-awaited treaty on the future of Gibraltar in Brussels on Tuesday.

The agreement will de facto integrate the British Overseas Territory into the Schengen Zone, allowing frictionless movement of people and goods.

The physical barrier will disappear to make way for a new model of free movement for thousands of cross-border workers and expats.

READ MORE: Gibraltar renames its airport after the ‘Father of the Gibraltarians’ one week before Spanish police and customs move in under new treaty

Schengen passport checks will be relocated to Gibraltar Airport, where the EU’s controversial biometric Entry/Exit System will be installed.

This system will record the fingerprints, facial recognition and personal data of travellers arriving from outside the EU bloc.

In a complex technical arrangement, the Policia Nacional will operate the system at the airport with initial support from Frontex, the EU’s border force.

They will share physical space with Gibraltarian border police but will not share databases or IT infrastructure.