Just itching to get its hand on Gibraltar, Spain’s foreign minister has revived a plan to share sovereignty over the territory if voters decide to leave the EU.
Such an arrangement would give Gibraltar continued access to the EU should the UK pull out.
The minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, told Spanish radio that if the UK decides to leave the EU, "it is obvious that Gibraltar also leaves the European Union, and won't therefore have access to the single market".
He said that solutions would need to be created for “Gibraltar to have a link with the European Union”.
Gibraltar’s financial service industry is heavily reliant on access to the single market. Its leader, Fabian Picardo, has warned that Brexit would be a “disaster” for the territory.
The minister suggested “shared sovereignty during an extended period of time”. An earlier proposal for joint control had been aired back in 2001 but was quashed by Gibraltarians in a 2002 referendum.
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in perpetuity by virtue of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Comments
Whether one is pro or anti EU your average brit might well have another Falkalnds on its hands , without the ability to do a thing about it militarilly , or when outside of the EU - without risk of severe sanctions by political means through non membership.
Spain suffers from old empire like England , a patata frita on its shoulder , and is willing to lose its Brit tourism for a lump of rock.
The EU fearful of its fractional demise from many other areas , ie debt in Portugal and Greece , havent really thought out Spain seceding by pride - or indeed by separation through Catalan independence.... which the EU refuses to endorse saying its an internal matter .
Now we learn of the Spanish National Drug Testing laboratory as being 'unfit for purpose'. Amongst other absurdities the Spanish re-instating Contador the cyclist when the rest of the world had him banned for being totally out of it on drugs. Only occasionally aware that he was on a bicycle and not flying a space ship. .
Prof. Mary Beard must ship back her Asturias award - or make it clear she is so unimpressed she has displayed it in her downstairs toilet. Besides the Wellington Boots. (Wellington - get it ?)
Can we entrust the Spanish with the British Gibraltarians for even 15 minutes before they are terrorising then killing male cattle in the market place just to show their idiocy? No !