Pedro Sánchez delays Gibraltar fence demolition after Almería wildfire

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has postponed the ceremony to demolish the border fence (the Verja) at La Línea de la Concepción from July 13 to July 15. The decision follows a lethal wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almería, which has killed 12 people, injured eight and burned about 6,600 hectares. The ceremony, originally to be attended by Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, was meant to symbolise the conclusion of long‑running negotiations on Gibraltar's land border.

The postponement coincides with the provisional entry into force of the EU‑UK agreement on Gibraltar scheduled for July 14, which will remove land‑border controls and shift checks to Gibraltar’s airport and port, effectively placing the territory under the Schengen area under Spanish oversight. The Gibraltar government still plans its own ceremony on July 14. The Andalusian regional administration declared three days of official mourning, and fire crews continue to fight the blaze.