Spain has not taken long to threaten border closure while UK faces the IN or OUT of EU referendum!
It never ceases to amaze me that Spain would use this difficult situation to once again find a way to bully Gibraltar. Can you imagine how hard life would become for us the people of Gibraltar if UK did vote out? As if it is not bad enough what happens when we are in I can only imagine how it will only get worse. At the moment of course all politicians are united in Gibraltar to encourage the Vote in and as such are supporting and pushing the vote in campaign called Remain IN. OF course they are and will as it is the future of Gibraltar not only for now but further generations to come. But one point that Spain continues to miss is that SPAIN is also benefiting from Gibraltar. More than 10, 000 cross borders workers depend on Gibraltar in Europe for jobs and security. La Linea, Algeciras, all the way to Malaga businesses and workers travel to work or make money from Gibraltar. So to think otherwise is such a foolish attitude. Spain should encourage more co operation between Gibraltar and Spain and not try to cause more division. The time has come if anything for Spain to join the spreading of the IN campaign especially since so many ex pats live in Spain and have a right to vote. Spain should start to being more understanding of the true situation that affects their own people that live and depend so much on the prosperity they enjoy because of Gibraltar Also we need to urge all UK citizens to also think about us when they vote - we are also British and we have been loyal to UK for more than 300 years! Now UK citizens should show more support towards Gibraltar and its people.
Spain could blockade Gibraltar if UK votes to leave EU, diplomat warns
'We wouldn't have to respect free movement of labour, capital or goods,' said senior Spanish official
The Rock has caused tension between Spain and the UK for years Alamy
SPAIN could close its borders with Gibraltar if Britain leaves the EU, a senior Spanish official has warned.
The diplomat warned Spain could tear up its obligations to the Rock if the UK votes Leave on June 23.
The unnamed source told the Times Madrid would no longer have to respect directives from Brussels on free movement of capital, goods and labour towards the British overseas territory.
Spain Gibraltar border Alamy
“We do not see Britain leaving the European Union as an opportunity but you have to understand that if Brexit happened it would change our obligations to Gibraltar,” the source told The Times.
“No longer would we have to respect the free movement of labour, not having long queues and the free movement of capital and goods which Brussels demands.
"We could even close the border if we wanted.”
The Spanish government sees Gibraltar as a territory under “illegal occupation” and has aggressively maintained Madrid’s claim to sovereignty. Spain gave Gibraltar to Britain in 1713 under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht.
The government source said: “It is rather like if Spain occupied a territory in the Firth of Forth, allowed nuclear submarines to visit, helped industries to develop, used it to smuggle contraband cigarettes and said the waters around it belonged to Spain.
“I do not imagine the Scottish would be too pleased.”
Spanish foreign minister José Manuel García-Margallo, recently suggested if the UK votes for Brexit Britain and Spain could resume talks on joint sovereignty which were shelved by Tony Blair’s government in 2002.
Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, said: “Why would a modern European country behave despotically to a democratic people whose only desire is to have good relations and co-operation with our neighbours?
“Gibraltar will not surrender its sovereignty, not one bit of our land, not one drop of our territorial waters and not one breath of air. We have seen off many sieges of many kinds and the Gibraltarian spirit is as resolved and determined to defend our rights. Gibraltar will never surrender.”
Rob Oxley, from the Vote Leave campaign, said: “Our membership of EU is not protecting us from Spanish irrationality; the country already ignores rules on Gibraltar so you have to ask are we any better off in the EU? It is not an argument to say these guys are really bad so better to be in the EU with them than outside without them.”
In 2013 Brussels had to call in inspectors after a row broke out between Britain and Spain.
Spanish officials had introduced tough border controls, which caused huge delays, in retaliation for the creation of an artificial reef in waters off Gibraltar.
Tensions between the UK and Spain have been strained recently with around 300 unlawful incursions by Spanish vessels into British Gibraltarian waters last year.
When the issue of a referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the EU was first mooted, I asked David Cameron and David Lidington to ensure we would be able to vote with the rest of the UK. Both agreed. True to their words, when the vote was called, British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens resident in Gibraltar were included in the franchise.
THE CAMPAIGN
Now the coming weeks are going to move very quickly as we rollercoaster our way towards the vote on June 23rd.
Alongside the dates of our other, historic, referenda, that will be one of the most important days in our modern history.
The referendum to decide whether we remain in the European or leave it will be a defining moment for Gibraltar’s future and indeed that of the United Kingdom.
UNITY
I, along with the all the elected political party leaders, am asking you to go out and vote “REMAIN”.
Gibraltar is not often politically united.
You should realise the seminal importance of this vote given your politicians’ unprecedented unity on this subject which is not directly a sovereignty question.
Some of you may feel your politicians argue too much. Maybe. But the reasons we are firmly united on this occasion have at their heart the preservation of our country’s many achievements over the past three decades.
I therefore call on you to work with me and your other political and civic leaders to make sure that family and friends also use their vote to REMAIN in the EU. For anyone who will be away or unable to attend a polling station, make sure you or they organise their proxy votes.
GIB STRONGER IN
Your MPs, representing the entire Gibraltar Parliament will be joined by other representatives of civil society, trade unions, commerce and many others in giving whole hearted support to Gibraltar Stronger in Europe campaign.
In the very capable hands of Gemma Vasquez and her team, I know Gibraltarians will give the “Gibraltar Stronger In” group every support.
Voting at this referendum is as important as any referendum we have held in Gibraltar.
SURVIVAL
Leaving the EU will not destroy us. Nothing can.
Despite the headlines, Gibraltar has seen through many sieges and battles, challenges and often turned these into opportunities.
Like on every occasion when we have been written off, we would endure and we would succeed.
Of that I have no doubt at all.
IF IT AIN’T BROKE
But why break something that works relatively well?
Why exit a growing, expanding trading block that has delivered the prosperity that we enjoy today?
Why move from the certainty of our status today to the unknown of the status we could have once the UK renegotiates it’s relationship as a non-member of the EU.
Why would 30,000 people want to exclude themselves from a trading block of 520m people that will soon also have a free trade agreement with the 400m people in the USA?
UNCERTAINTY
The only thing that is clear is that leaving the EU will certainly create unnecessary uncertainty.
Yes, there are always winners and losers with major change. But in terms of Gibraltar we are agreed, across the political, commercial and trades union spectrum, that the losses with a leave vote far outweigh any benefits.
The many ‘ifs’ that a leave vote creates – such as what happens at our frontier, what happens to financial services in the City of London, would Scotland once again seek independence etc – are simply the source of more uncertainty.
OUR PROSPERITY
Nothing has ever been easy for Gibraltar.
Successive Chief Ministers have had to battle on many fronts – Spain, the EU and even sometimes the UK itself – to arrive at a Gibraltar that was strong enough to ride the many storms we have endured and to live in relative prosperity.
We have seen though joint-sovereignty attempts, global economic upheaval and twisted Spanish diplomacy chomping at our doorstep.
We won our right to vote at EU elections in the Court of Human Rights in a case against the UK.
We have won and prevailed against countless EU Commission moves in areas such as tax and defended our highly reputable finance centre and our highly regulated gaming industry and both are now therefore highly regarded.
We have won EU passporting rights crucial to the financial industries.
By remaining in the EU we keep our successes and battle on.
If we leave we will need to go back to the drawing board in some of the hard fought areas and we will rely on each successive UK government not sacrificing us to the expediency of its own political, economic and commercial interests and needs.
SPAIN’S CLAIM
Spain’s caretaker Foreign Minister is already excited at the thought of gaining leverage to pursue his personal sovereignty campaign against us.
Well, whatever the outcome of the referendum let me be very clear: we will never surrender to pressure from Spain. Gibraltar will always remain ours.
Gibraltar belongs to the British Gibraltarians and that is not going to change.
Gibraltar will, of course, live to fight another day and we will survive whatever the challenge that comes before us. Your government is ready for the hard work that rebuilding a new economic model for the future will entail. We have been working on the options for some time.
FOR OUR CHILDREN
But why put ourselves and our children through all that uncertainty and subject to new potential pitfalls?
If the best part of our 23,000 eligible voters choose REMAIN, the significance of that unity will go far beyond there being at least a slim chance that we tip the balance.
Whatever the outcome of the overall referendum, Gibraltar must signal to UK, the EU and the world the direction we want to take: free movement of people, capital, goods and services, the right to trade freely with UK, with Europe and the world. Britain, as much as the rest of Europe and the World, need to hear from us what we expect of it.
Our message must be united and clear.
A huge Gibraltar vote to REMAIN is the only option that will get that message across.
The EU is far from perfect. But voting to REMAIN in it is the right choice for Gibraltar.
