Walter Finch
A NEW and monumental issue could be holding up progress in the negotiations to agree a post-Brexit treaty for Gibraltar, according to reports from the UK.
While Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the Spanish foreign minister have been assuring their respective populations that the only things standing between a deal are mere ‘technical complications’, Gibraltar’s deputy chief minister struck a different tone.
Joseph Garcia, who has accompanied Picardo to Brussels on many occasions for the talks, hinted that goal-post-shifting has begun in his New Year’s message.
“It is perfectly understandable, when faced with incursions, vetoes and inconsistent behaviour at the border, that many people will have genuine concerns about what the future may bring,” Garcia wrote.
“Often all it takes to block progress is something as simple as one party taking a step back on something which they had previously agreed to.”
The last line set tongues a-wagging at the time, prompting observers to wonder what issue in the negotiations Garcia could be referring to.
Now, a new report in the UK newspaper the Independent may shed some light on the matter.
“An EU source tells me that Spain is fixed on the airport, which it claims is not in Gibraltar territory as listed in the Treaty of Utrecht,” writes journalist Sarah Sands.
“If Spain claims the airport, it would effectively isolate Gibraltar.”
Spain has maintained a claim to sovereignty over the isthmus upon which the airport is built, arguing that it was not listed in the territory ceded to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
However the strip of land has been under de facto British control since it was developed in the 19th century, now serving a vital role for civilian infrastructure as well as an RAF airbase.
Despite being the longstanding territorial dispute, the question of the actual sovereign ownership of the airport and surrounding territory has not publicly arisen during the negotiations.
When Picardo announced last April that Gibraltar, the UK, Spain and the EU had all agreed on the ‘general political lines’ of a deal, he made mention of ‘airport, goods and mobility’ – implying there were no disagreements on these topics.
If Spain has now decided that sovereignty of the airport is on the table, it could potentially explain Garcia’s remark ‘one party taking a step back on something which they had previously agreed to.’
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In a comment to the Olive Press, the Gibraltar government said it was limited in what it can say on the matter, but added: “Flights from EU airports are currently vetoed by Spain but accepted by Gibraltar.
“The Government would welcome flights between Gibraltar airport and airports in the European Union, and has expressed a willingness to look at imaginative, technical solutions which would allow this to happen.
“However, we will do nothing which affects sovereignty, jurisdiction and control.”
The transfer of the airport to Spanish hands would be unthinkable for both Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, while Spanish boots operating on the territory has long been a red line for the former.
Due to these Spanish objections, Gibraltar airport typically only serves airports in the UK, such as London (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Luton), Manchester, and sometimes other UK cities.
The number of flights a day is generally low, ranging from three to five, and the runway is famous for its short length and challenging landings.
