ARCHIVED - Spain ratchets up Brexit deal veto threat over Gibraltar

The government wants free rein to negotiate the status of Gibraltar directly with the UK

“If on Sunday at the @EUCouncil the Brexit agreement does not recognize that the situation of Gibraltar must be negotiated directly between Spain and the UK, this government will not accept it”.

The Spanish government made it clear in September that it intended to use the Brexit negotiations as a lever with which to bring about changes in the situation in Gibraltar, and with the deadline for agreeing a deal fast approaching Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has made it clear on his Twitter account that there is one final concession which he is seeking in order for his government to approve the terms of the agreement proposed.

When the negotiating guidelines were agreed upon by the 27 countries which will remain in the EU after 29th March next year, it was specified that Spain should have the last word in deciding whether the terms regarding Gibraltar are beneficial, and this is the card which is now being played as the government seeks conditions which will allow this country to make its own demands of the UK over the issue of Gibraltar in future, without the support of the EU. This was mentioned by Josep Borrell, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, on Monday, and on Tuesday morning the baton was taken up by Sr Sánchez at the 4^th Shopping Tourism and Economy Summit in Madrid.

“We will vote no because in the last 72 hours no document has clarified something which for us is fundamental: Gibraltar does not belong to the United Kingdom”, the Prime Minister stated in Madrid, before later informing both the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, of his stance. He is also reported to have spoken to Theresa May about the matter on the telephone.

The problem revolves around the sudden appearance of Article 184 in the Brexit conditions, a text which was introduced after the agreement was reached last week, and concerns not what is stated but what is not: that the future of the Rock should be decided by Spain and the UK only, and not by the EU. Theresa May’s reaction is eagerly awaited.

There are other issues on which EU member states are demanding more concessions at the last minute: France is asking for more fishing rights, Germany is pushing for a modification on the plan for trade and security, and for others the UK-wide customs union is unsatisfactory. But in Spain, the one topic which is “unfinished business” remains Gibraltar, and this could provide yet another obstacle to any Brexit deal over the course of the next four days.

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