STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The Rock of Gibraltar, which has been the focus of territorial disputes for centuries. Now the European Union, Spain and Britain have announced a deal to resolve one of them. Here's NPR's Lauren Frayer.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Dominating the horizon at the southernmost tip of Europe stands a majestic, Jurassic limestone rock.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: The Rock of Gibraltar may be physically attached to Spain, but as this tourism video explains, it's been British soil for more than 300 years. The official language is English and currency the British pound. Gibraltar's economy, though, is linked to EU member Spain. About 15,000 people commute across the border daily. You literally walk across an isthmus that's got an airport runway on it, too. When Britain left the EU five years ago, that land bridge became an external EU border. And there was gridlock. Commuters often faced passport checks.
DAVID LAMMY: People have sometimes queued for hours.
FRAYER: British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told reporters those gridlock days are now over. People and goods will once again flow freely across that border. This was the last big unresolved issue from Brexit, Lammy says.
LAMMY: A historic solution that I believe is pragmatic and gives the people of Gibraltar the certainty they need.
FRAYER: Certainty that they're still part of the U.K. but will also now be part of Europe's visa-free Schengen travel zone.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOSE ALBARES: (Speaking Spanish).
FRAYER: "This is a new beginning," Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Albares also told reporters. Entry and exit checks will still happen at Gibraltar's airport and port. The deal still has to be ratified by the British and Spanish parliaments, but officials are calling this a milestone that benefits everyone.
Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
