Gibraltar - 31 January 2020

1. Dawn at the Rock of Gibraltar

2. Wide view of Africa from Gibraltar

3. Wide of Gibraltar with Spain in the background

4. Wide of street in Gibraltar as city awakes

5. Border crossing with the Rock behind

6. EU, Gibraltar and UK flags waving in the wind

7. Various of traffic and workers crossing the border

8. Spanish side of the border with workers walking in

9. Spanish flag at customs controlled area

10. EU flag, Union Jack and Gibraltar flag with the Rock in the background

11. Border with the Rock behind

12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Estela Lopez, 36-years-old, working 4 years for a local business in Gibraltar:

"I'm a little bit frightened really, because a lot of people work here every day, because everybody knows than the situation of Gibraltar Bay area is not good."

13. Workers crossing the border

14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria Gabriela (no surname given), 23-year-old Portuguese citizen, working in Gibraltar as a waitress:

"I'm not Spanish, I'm Portuguese. I don't know what kind of agreement will be reached between Portugal and UK, and I don't know if is going to affect me or not, since I'm not Spanish."

15. Close of Maria Gabriela showing her passport

16. Traffic at the border

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Lafferty, 36-year-old structural engineer working in Gibraltar:

"I don't think anything is going to change really in the next year, and then we will see if an agreement can be made over trade in the next year and take it from there."

18. Spanish flag waving with the Rock behind

19. Various of car showroom, cars for sale

20. Various set up shots of Kevin Jones, Chief CEO of Bassadone Automotive Group

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Jones, Chief Executive of Bassadone Automotive Group:

"It is a sad day, but nonetheless in terms of the practicalities of Brexit, Gibraltar has always been outside the customs and tariffs agreement."

22. Cutaway of banner reading (English) "Limited Time Special Offer" at Bassadone Automotive Finance

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Jones, Chief Executive of Bassadone Automotive Group:

"The best agreement for us is an open border, a free flowing border, where people can come across the border as they have done for the last 30 years freely, at times there will be queues but as long as they are reasonable queues, and the same for customs that you know goods can be cleared into Gibraltar, out of Gibraltar."

24. Jones walking away

25. Various of changing of the Guard

26. Various of Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo at news conference

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar: ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"On a day like today, the 31st of January 2020, which for us will forever live in history as a very sad day indeed, it's a pleasure to welcome those who have an interest in the rights of the people in this region and in particular the rights of workers."

28. Picardo with Spanish politician Teresa Rodriguez from Podemos Andalucia

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar:

"We will therefore be lowering the EU flag with a very heavy heart, we will do it with sadness and with respect, and we want to show that we hold out a hand of friendship to the European Union and the people of the European Union by playing loud and clear 'The ode to joy' as the flag of the EU comes down, and then we will raise the flag of the Commonwealth, which is the family in which we will remain."

30. Picardo posing for the photographers

31. Various of Brexit information office

32. Pedestrians on a busy street

33. Various of souvenir shops

34. Pedestrians on a busy street

35. Various of duty free shop

36. Money exchange sign

The head of Gibraltar’s government said on Friday the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union “will forever live in history as a very sad day.”

Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabien Picardo said the speck of British territory on Spain's southern tip is departing the EU on Friday night “with a heavy heart, with sadness.”

In the U.K.’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU.

Gibraltar’s economy relies heavily on connections to the EU and Spain.

About 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, most of them EU nationals. They make up about half of Gibraltar’s labor force.

A lot is also at stake for Spain, which exported 1.5 billion euros of goods to Gibraltar in 2018.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 but Spain still claims sovereignty over it.

Madrid considers the 30,000-strong territory a tax haven, where corporation tax is less than half of that of Spain.

More than two dozen international online gambling companies operate out of Gibraltar, lured by its low taxes and unimpeded access to the EU's single market.

The gambling companies account for around 25% of Gibraltar's economy.

Picardo plans to attend a brief midnight ceremony on the border with Spain, when the EU flag will be lowered and the British Commonwealth flag raised.

He said that during the ceremony the EU's anthem -- Beethoven's “Ode to Joy” will be played.