While waiting for the resumption of talks on the future Gibraltar Treaty between Great Britain and the European Union, statements by José Manuel García-Margallo, of the Popular Party, have once again stirred up diplomatic waters.
Various British media outlets, such as the Express newspaper, have echoed these statements in the newspaper “La Razón”, stating that “a prominent politician has said that Spain cannot afford the luxury of “handing over” Gibraltar again, while warning the current government to put pressure on the United Kingdom in the current negotiations.”
“Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo has revealed that Spain had conspired to use the result of the Brexit referendum in 2016 to regain Gibraltar. Mr Garcia-Margallo is a former Spanish government minister and current Member of the European Parliament (MEP),” Express reports.
In the interview, Express reports, “the fierce defender of Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar warned the current government in Madrid, headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, not to renounce the “co-sovereignty” of the Rock.”
To a large extent, García-Margallo is repeating his well-known arguments on Gibraltar, which are in line with the position of the Brexit hawks in the United Kingdom. The Spanish MEP does not mention that this latest negotiation process on Gibraltar began after his departure from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and when Alfonso Dastis, also from the PP in the last stage of the Rajoy Government, assumed the portfolio.
Asked by La Razón about the content of the agreements, García-Margallo said that “nobody knows it, neither the Cortes nor the opposition. I think that Albares’ great triumph will consist of having two tricorn hats at customs that take people to the port and another two tricorn hats at customs that take people to the airport and that’s it. Nothing else will be achieved. The serious issue here is giving up on claiming sovereignty and allowing the establishment of the Cayman Islands in southern Europe that will prevent the development of the area for ever and ever.”
In the interview, the former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose greatest practical contribution to the dispute was the closure of the Cervantes Institute on the Rock, was asked what the proposal made by Mariano Rajoy’s government when he was the Foreign Minister consisted of: “It had several pillars that, in my opinion, satisfied all interests, and especially those of the Spanish. Firstly, a period of Spanish-British co-sovereignty, which would allow Gibraltar to join the internal market, dismantle the Fence and guarantee that the rights of the Spanish on the Rock would be identical to those of the Gibraltarians. This solution was consistent with the Treaty of Utrecht, which states that if the United Kingdom renounces ownership of Gibraltar, the Crown of Spain will be given the first option to redeem it before others, and with the resolutions of the United Nations, which oblige the United Kingdom to decolonise the territory by applying the principle of territorial integrity and not that of self-determination.”
“Express” summarises his statements, highlighting that the MEP regrets that Spain has not taken advantage of the “golden opportunity” of Brexit to force the return of sovereignty, as well as his criticism that Spain and the EU allow “Gibraltar to have a personal income tax rate and a corporate tax rate half that of Spain”.
Express also recalls that “in May, a row broke out over concerns that a planned deal between the then Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron and the European Union “It would mean that Gibraltar’s border with Spain was British in name only.”
“The EU had proposed giving EU border guards access to Gibraltar airport,” he added. “At the time, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee (ESC) warned that the deal would allow “the pendulum to swing too far in the EU’s direction.” Lord Cameron later backed away from the deal plan. However, discussions have been going on between the EU and Britain over the management of Gibraltar’s border for months and it is unclear how the new Labour government will respond to the talks.”
The new Labour government has abolished the European Scrutiny Committee, amid a heated political controversy in Britain. The Foreign Office has also asked for time to restart political talks on the Treaty.
Watch the full interview at the following link:
