by An EU commissioner has sparked outrage by pointing out that Gibraltar is Spanish while ruling out the possibility of a Brexit deal for the Rock ahead of the June deadline.
“Gibraltar español,” said Margaritis Schinas, when asked about the delicate negotiations in Seville that have dragged on for years over 18 rounds and counting.
The slogan, which means “Spanish Gibraltar” and dates back to the Franco era, is chanted by those who claim that the Rock is a colony and rightfully belongs to Spain.
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, ending the wars of the Spanish succession. In a referendum in 2002, 98.97 percent of Gibraltarians voted down a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, which continues to claim the territory.
Spain has not claimed sovereignty over the Rock as part of the Brexit negotiations, which makes the EU chief’s joke particularly disrespectful given the sensitivities of the issue.
“I can say ‘Gibraltar español’ after Brexit more comfortably,” said Mr Schinas, the commissioner for promoting the “European Way of Life”.
“And it’s not the only area where things are better post-Brexit.”
UK and EU negotiators are trying to reach a deal that will create a post-Brexit common travel area between Spain and Gibraltar before European Parliament elections in June.
The elections come before a change of leadership in the EU institution which would delay further talks. If an agreement is not reached between the UK and the EU before the vote, Gibraltar could be subject to full border controls on movements to and from Spain.
‘Unfortunate and inexplicable’
Mr Schinas, who is Greek and fluent in Spanish, said the negotiations had lasted “longer than expected”.
“I do not believe that there will indeed be a result before the European elections, and I think that some who were involved in the negotiations were trying to express a certain hope that is not really visible,” he said in comments that were branded “very pitiful and unfortunate. incomprehensible” madrid madrid.
The European Commission is handling negotiations with the United Kingdom on behalf of Spain, but Madrid will have the final say in accepting an agreement that was decided by Brussels.
Mr Schinas was the Commission’s chief spokesperson during the Brexit negotiations and vice-president of the EU executive in Brussels.
He is not leading negotiations over Gibraltar, which are being handled by Maros Sefcovic, the Slovak commissioner, who agreed the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.
Limit control power
London, Brussels and Madrid have agreed on a broad outline of a measure that will grant Rock membership in the EU’s passport-free Schengen area.
Gibraltar police and the EU’s Frontex border agency will police the territory’s border at the airport and ports, under the proposed agreement.
The negotiations are complicated by sensitive sovereignty issues, including a power grab in Madrid for joint management of Gibraltar airport, which includes the RAF base.
Mr Schinas also doubted whether British negotiators would accept officers from Frontex policing the airport.
“Our British friends believe that Frontex is very European,” Mr Schinas told Spanish reporters over breakfast on Thursday morning.
Negotiations going ahead ‘as planned’
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, insisted that the negotiations were proceeding “at a good pace”.
“I spoke to Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which are very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas has nothing to do with the dossier of the withdrawal agreement related to Gibraltar,” Mr Albares told Spanish TV.
David Jones, a former Cabinet minister, said: “Schinas has let the cat out of the bag. The EU clearly intends that the outcome of the negotiations will be Spanish sovereignty over the Rock.
“He underestimates the resolve of both the UK and the people of Gibraltar.
“As Prime Minister Fabian Picardo has made clear, Gibraltar is British, British, British, and that’s how it will stay.”
Late on Thursday night, the European Commission, under pressure from Madrid, distanced itself from Mr. Schinas’ comments.
He said Mr Sefcovic was leading the talks which were progressing “as planned” and were “entering a sensitive phase”.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said that this was not the same as saying that there had been progress in the negotiations, which undoubtedly still are.
Spanish authorities have not implemented full border controls with Gibraltar since Brexit legally came into force at the end of 2020, but have warned that the situation cannot continue indefinitely.
They allowed the free flow of Gibraltarians and Spaniards to and from the Rock, including some 15,000 Spanish workers essential to Gibraltar’s economy, providing much-needed employment.
