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LAST UPDATE | 23 Nov 2018
SPAIN’S PRIME MINISTER Pedro Sanchez warned today there would “very probably” be no summit to approve Britain’s exit from the European Union on Sunday if the issue of Gibraltar is not first resolved.
Madrid is seeking a guaranteed veto on post-Brexit relations between the EU and Gibraltar, the British enclave on Spain’s southern tip, and has threatened to scupper the draft Brexit deal if it doesn’t get its way.
“If there’s no agreement” over Gibraltar, Sanchez said at a press conference in Cuba, “there very probably won’t be a European Council” summit.
Earlier on Friday, Spanish officials in Brussels said Sanchez might not attend the summit if London fails to put into writing a promise that no future agreement between Britain and the EU that applies to Gibraltar can be signed without first being negotiated on a bilateral basis with Spain.
That would effectively give Spain the power of veto over any future relations between the EU and the 2.6 square mile (6.8 square kilometer) British territory on its southern tip.
Sanchez wouldn’t confirm that threat to skip the summit but said current “guarantees are not enough and so Spain maintains its veto on the Brexit deal.”
“If there’s an agreement, we’ll obviously go.”
An original clause in the deal Britain has drawn up with the EU gave Spain it’s guarantees, but that has since disappeared from the final draft.
Although the legal service of the EU Council has tried to reassure Spain that the current text does not preclude this, Madrid wants that veto power clearly spelled out.
“We have demanded that it be published by the British authorities before the European Council on Sunday,” Luis Marco Aguiriano Nalda, state secretary for European affairs, told reporters in Brussels.
Both British and EU negotiators said that the withdrawal agreement itself would not change at this stage, but in London a spokesman for the prime minister’s office had earlier said: “We will work with the governments of Gibraltar and Spain on our future relationship.”
Should EU leaders sign off on the deal, British Prime Minister Theresa May would still have to convince her own parliament to back it, something seen as a greater challenge.
“If this deal does not go through, we are back at square one. What we end up with is more division and more uncertainty,” said May.
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How can these colonialists really be outraged? They could do with reading someone else’s history books.
@Colin Nolan: the only thing is that Gibraltarians feel British. It’s not like the north where it’s split. Spain are being a pain in the ass about this.
@joe: the UK could say it will force Gibraltar to share power with Madrid on the same day that Spain forces Spanish citizens in Cueta to accept rule from Morocco.
@Colin Nolan: england has to let go of its empire mentality. Those days ended almost 100 years ago. Gibraltar is part of Spain. The english keep antagonizing the Spanish around the La Linea waters right beside Gibraltar. They have reclaimed land from the Sea in Gibraltar to build a Military airport right up to the Spanish line. england is no longer an empire but they still try to behave like one.
@Cal Mooney: Britain doesn’t have an empire . The people of Gibraltar , Scotland , Falklands all voted in a ref to remain British . The people of NI can leave the union when it’s the wish of the people . Maybe you should respect democracy.
@Gulliver Foyle: Except that’s completely irrelevant.
@Paul Smith: don’t worry about Cal, he’s offended on behalf of people that aren’t offended themselves. Silly Gibraltarians, they don’t know what good for them.
@Paul Smith: no empire? Didn’t the Britshits try to claim All of Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle last year?
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: Do u remember thatcher claiming that Belfast was as british as Finchley. They really are up their own …
@Cal Mooney: Give it a rest, Wally. The Salisbury debacle is over. Learn to accept the truth.
@Harry Whitehead: You are right Harry. Those videos on the news today showing those blood thirsty suspects having the audacity to walk around Salsbury taking photographs of landmarks clearly demonstrates they are guilty. Meanwhile it is obvious the Saudi Royal family could in no way be guilty of ordering the murder, cutting off the limbs off a journalists and then dispose of his different body parts in a batch of acid is totally believable. The actual recording of his murder was not legally obtained, so we should ignore that. Pull the other one, it has bells on it.
@Cal Mooney: Wally if you could find the relevant posts where I’ve either denied Kashoggi was murdered by the Saudis or defended the Saudi regime, please feel free to repost them below. Until then, nice attempt at a strawman.
@Cal Mooney: You on the other hand have 1) repeatedly denied the Kremlin’s involvement in Salisbury and 2) only recently recast yourself as a proud Republican of the Emerald Isles ever since to try and justify your annoyance at the UK not letting go of Salisbury.
No one’s fooled.
@Cal Mooney: By the way, constantly repeating that Gibraltar is part of Spain carries no more legal or social weight than claiming Portugal is.
@Colin Nolan: I agree totally its incredible these issues (Ireland and Gibraltar) are all residual left overs from both their glorious past’s – not. Another reason why you don’t want an EU army as that other shower of Ex-Colonial wasters – France cherry pick on their ex-African foreign adventures.
@joe: More Union Jacks around the place than East Belfast!
@joe: well actually there are not….
@dannyboy: well they have voted twice to remain part of the UK. So they clearly don’t see themselves as Spanish. From having been there they are more British than their mainland counterparts!
Spain should foff
@Paul Smith: “Maybe you should respect democracy.” – When did the respect for democracy begin? I don’t remember Ireland voting for partition.
@joe: Gibraltar voters didn’t want Brexit. Because there’s do little room on the rock, lot of people working there live across the border in Spain. Last thing they want is not to be able to cross freely.
So England, you want out of the EU? Well release Gilbralter and Scotland and give the Republic of Ireland Northern Ireland back! :-) No more Britannia ruling the Waves Ms May and Ms Winsor!!!
@Michael Mike Mathäß: no thanks to NI. Economic sink hole!
@Michael Mike Mathäß: Would that be the same Gibraltar and Scotland that decisively voted to stay in referendums? The same NI where Unionists are still a majority? Back to watching Star Wars, there’s a good lad.
@Michael Mike Mathäß: Britannia waves the rules,usually.
“wholly unacceptable for the Spanish Government to threaten to exercise its veto over the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement at the eleventh hour”
Why? Because the incompetent, petulant British political class isn’t getting what it wants?
No concessions to the British. They love to run with the hares and the hounds. Not an in
@#Inglés Retweeter: to quote del boy when grandad was holed up in a spanish prison “Dont think you’re getting gibralter back over this”
I think it is only sabre ratling by the very left wing spanish government that are not very popular anyway due to their very lax policy on admitting african migrants and even taking in ones rejected by italy.
@john bennett: Maybe the past is catching up with the long lost murderous empires of England and Spain.
Spain can’t veto the Withdrawal Agreement as it only requires a qualified majority. Somehow, I can’t see many other Countries rushing to Spain’s assistances over Gibraltar.
@Stephen Duffy: Absolutely. The only country which could potentially veto it would be the UK, but that would be shooting themselves in the other foot.
@Stephen Duffy:
While you are correct the withdrawal agreement can go through on a qualified majority any subsequent treaty on all the nitty gritty, financial services, security etc etc will need all countries support (remember Belgium and the Canadian treaty)
People would be wrong to assume Spain or Ireland can be ignored
@Stephen Duffy: They can veto any future trade deal, hence they are commenting now after the publication of the draft non-binding text of the future trade deal which attached but seperately and not part to the legally bindind Withdrawel Agreement, which is non-ratified by the qualified majority of EU States required, or the UK (which it wont . at least the first time it is voted on in December)..
It’s all very clear.
PS: I hope all Irish Companies will have finalised their Brexit plans by next month…
@Stephen Duffy: yes and the Journal have managed to write 3 or 4 articles this week leaving out a key piece of information
@Stephen Duffy: Correct, but EU partners will heed Spain even if what is being said is unpalatable.
They carry a lot of weight.
They should have negotiated a backstop.
Time to breakup this Empire and let people be in charge of their own affairs, does that sound familiar?
“It certainly does nothing to create an atmosphere locally that Spain can be trusted to respect agreements it has signed up to,”
Pot calling the kettle black?
@Colm A. Corcoran: the UK plays by a different rule book. One that allows them to row back on previous agreements
Great to see this blowing up in the establishments face.
The deal can be passed by qualified majority voting. So Spain can fook off.
If you go back far enough you see Ireland tried to I made Scotland. Well played Spain .
@Picture This: I didn’t know we I maded Scotland?
Officially the Spanish can’t veto the deal as there is no veto right on the Brexit agreement. But they have said that they want all member states to agree.
Okey Dokey Spain – you can have Gibraltar but give up your all your other enclaves that are not adjoined to your country. Job done!
@Nicholas Kelly: Oops enclaves, exclaves, territories…so confusing when talking about who owns land.
A sad day when Spain wants to destroy a real agreement. Pettiness at it’s best by all means as they are it as there only way off getting back Gibraltar.
This very last minute stunt by the socialist prime minister of Spain is unreasonable, and, apart from having his own local elections in mind, is purely an attempt to make Britain’s exit from the EU appear as convoluted and challenging as possible in order to send a message to other countries (who might be minded to leave the EU) that they should be slow to try. If Britain, or any other country really wanted to, they could simply leave on WTO terms, which would still constitute an orderly exit.
In any case, my understanding is that unanimous consent by all of the countries of the European Union is not needed in order to ratify the Brexit withdrawal agreement this weekend, only a majority is required. So, Spain’s consent may not be necessary at the end of the day.
Ok so.
Not sure about everyone else but us at https://bit.ly/2Tg5Q1d are sick of hearing about Brexit….hurry up and settle it
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Interestingly Spain didn’t annex Gibraltar during WW2 and allowed the British to access the Mediterranean, even though Spain was usually aligned with the rest of fascist Western Europe (Germany, Austria, France, Italy).
She’s between a rock (of Gibraltar) and a hard place
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