Joe Duggan (Reporter)
SPAIN has hosted a summit of EU leaders as Madrid launches a Brexit charm offensive.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy met the heads of France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta in the Spanish capital on Monday.
It comes the week after Spain was granted an effective veto over Gibraltar being included in any future UK Brexit trade deal.
And with Spain now looking to bolster support for its Gibraltar stance, observers believe Spain is seeking to assert its authority within the EU.
Borja Lasheras, director of the Madrid office of the European Council on Foreign Relations said: “There is a real willingness in Spain to regain influence at a time when other top European countries are absorbed by their own problems.
“Spain is playing its cards, and other countries are not.”
It was the third meeting of the seven nations as Madrid looks to cement a common Brexit stance among southern European leaders.
Deluded baffoons……………….Gibraltar is British………..end of….!!!!!!
Gibraltar is not british….Gibraltar is under british rule. It is not the same. Brexit is Brexit. And Brexit will be horrible for economy of Gibraltar. Gibraltarian people will found a solution with spanish goverment to protect their status in EU and remove the border. It is the best for everyone. Because if there is not agreement of co sovereign, Financial sector, online gambling, tourism and low taxes good will move or dissapear. First time in 300 years, Gibraltar will live better being under Spanish rule.
That makes seven members in a huddle (and muddle) what about the other twenty, don’t they get a say? As for the comment by AA, Spanish rule would be the equivalent of p*****g on their chips.
It says something about Spain that Gibraltarians would rather be much poorer under a British flag than ruled from Madrid…
Why do you think this is?
Because the UK allows them to be a tax haven. Spain wouldn’t.
Congratulations on the perfect oxymoron Lenox. (With one “L”)
Gibraltarians are intelligents….They are not going to lost their quality of life with England when they could maintain it with Spain. Brexit will be in 2 years. Enough time to think what it is the best for their interests. I think the choice is easy. Temporal Co sovereign like spanish autonomous comunity, full self governing: same fiscal laws, english education, Double nationality optional (or only english or only spanish) not any border etc etc etc. I think it is the best option for everyone. Because if they choose brexit, they will lost financial and online gambling sector and also they will lost tourism and low tax goods (tobacco, oil products or alcohol). Poderoso caballero es Don Dinero.
Would you sell your country, nationality and birthright for a handful of silver?
Neither will Gibraltarians…
Paul, they did it by decades. Check the surnames of gibraltarian people. Their “national” feelings was the way to improve their lives working in a british colony. Gibraltarians can protect their style of life in Spain and they dont have to renounce to british nationality. Spain put the flag in the rock, gibraltarian people still having their amazing quality of life without border, UK still having 50 years more control of navy base and UN remove from list of colonies. It is a good agreement for everyone.
I think the best idea would be for Gibraltar to become a part of the UK. It would finally end the decolonization issue and end any hope of Spain ever taking Gibraltar. If Spain then closed the border to the UK county of Gibraltar they would be closing their border to the whole of the UK. Any exports or people movement between the two nations would immediately stop.
“A senior German politician has called on Britain to hold a European Union (EU) referendum because “nobody knew what Brexit was about”. Well the Brits knew and appears the rest of the EU does not.
Simple really, the Brits had a referendum and the reason was to leave.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmauldin/2016/07/05/3-reasons-brits-voted-for-brexit/#67b768371f9d
The decolonization issue will be in same way: UN is so clear and ask to UK and Spain to found an agreement. Also I´m sure that Gibraltar never will let you rule british law because they dont want to pay taxes or stop laundry money or smuggling tobacco. Spain and UK are very good allies and it is not intelligent that a former strategic naval base from XVIII disturb our XXI century relationship. The best for Gibraltarians interest is become part of Spain, with their economical laws inside EU. UK can´t give them what they need.