The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia will officially open an international symposium this Thursday on the subject of Borders and Bordering in the 21st Century.

The event will take place at the Garrison Library.

The topic this year has been driven by the 2019 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the closure of the border in 1969 and by wider concerns worldwide in relation to borders including the impact of Brexit.

There will be specific consideration of the land borders between Gibraltar and Spain and between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as part of the discussions.

The event has been organised by Dr Jennifer Ballantine Perera together with the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister. It is now in its seventh year.

In the past these symposiums at the Garrison Library have focused on issues that impact on Gibraltar and other like territories within a European and global framework.

This year, a delegation from The Åland Islands Peace Institute has been invited to attend. The Åland Islands are culturally, linguistically and geopolitically linked to Finland and Sweden given their constitutional relationship.

A panel of fifteen high-profile international and local speakers will put their views forward during the symposium.

These will include academics from Cambridge, Kings College London, St Patrick’s College Dublin City University, The Åland Islands Peace Institute, State Watch, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Lisbon & Inter Press Agency (IPS), University of Albany, State University New York, Newcastle University, Royal Holloway, Madrid and the University of Gibraltar.

Commenting on the event, Dr Garcia said: “I am delighted that for the seventh year in a row the Gibraltar Garrison Library will host such an internationally prestigious symposium that delves into some of the most pertinent issues of our times in Gibraltar, the United Kingdom and globally.”

The event will open on Thursday at 5.00pm and the public are invited to attend.