The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has decided to postpone until Wednesday, July 15 the symbolic act of demolition of the Fence of La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz), initially scheduled for Monday the 13th, due to the mourning for the forest fire in Los Gallardos (Almería), which has caused 12 deaths and has burned about 6,600 hectares.
The decision coincides with the three days of official mourning decreed by the Junta de Andalucía following the tragedy and modifies the planned calendar for one of the most representative acts of the agreement on Gibraltar.
The act will be held on the same day the agreement comes into force
As confirmed by government sources, the act will finally take place on July 15, the date on which the agreement reached between the European Union and the United Kingdom on the future of Gibraltar after Brexit will begin to be applied provisionally.
The President of the Government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will attend the event, after the official signing of the treaty is scheduled for July 14 in Brussels.
The disappearance of the Fence changes the border with Gibraltar
The agreement will mean the elimination of land border controls between La Línea de la Concepción and Gibraltar.
With the new system, controls linked to the Schengen area will be carried out at the port and airport of the Rock, while the physical access barriers by road will disappear.
The removal of the Fence constitutes one of the most prominent symbols of the pact reached between the EU and the United Kingdom after five years of negotiations following Brexit.
The Los Gallardos fire affects the institutional agenda
The postponement is due to the severity of the fire declared in Los Gallardos (Almería), where extinction efforts continue with a large deployment of ground and air resources.
The fire has a provisional toll of 12 deceased people, eight seriously injured, and thousands of hectares affected, which has led the Government to modify its institutional agenda and postpone the planned event in Cádiz.