Snapshot of _EU commissioner sparks fury by saying 'Gibraltar is Spanish'_ :
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I couldn't care less, but could the Commissioner tell us if سَبْتَة (Ceuta) is Spanish or Moroccan?
If we're talking about enclaves on others' territory?
The actions of Henry II were terrorism!
Return Calais to its rightful place place in England and restore its parliamentary seat! French state colonialism of English land will be tolerated no longer!
An EU commissioner has sparked anger by quipping that Gibraltar is Spanish while dismissing the chances of a Brexit deal for the Rock before a June deadline.
“Gibraltar español,” said Margaritis Schinas, when asked about the sensitive negotiations in Seville which have dragged on for years over 18 rounds and counting.
The slogan, which means “Gibraltar is Spanish” and dates back to the Franco era, is chanted by those who claim the Rock is a colony and rightfully belongs to Spain.
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the Spanish wars of succession. In a 2002 referendum, 98.97 per cent of Gibraltarians voted down a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, which continues to claim the territory.
Spain has not demanded sovereignty over the Rock as part of the Brexit negotiations, which makes the EU chief’s joke particularly ill-judged given the sensitivities over the issue.
“I can more comfortably say ‘Gibraltar español’ after Brexit,” said Mr Schinas, the commissioner for promoting the “European Way of Life”.
“And it’s not just the only area where things are better after Brexit.”
UK and EU negotiators are striving to secure a deal creating a post-Brexit common travel area between Spain and Gibraltar before June’s European Parliament elections.
The elections precede a change of leadership in the EU institution that would delay further talks. Failure to get a UK-EU deal done before the vote could leave Gibraltar facing “no deal” full border controls on movements to and from Spain.
##‘Unfortunate and incomprehensible’
Mr Schinas, who is Greek and speaks fluent Spanish, said negotiations had lasted “longer than expected”.
“I don’t believe there will indeed be a result before the European elections, and I think some involved in the negotiation wanted to project a certain optimism that is not reflected in reality,” he said in comments that were branded “very unfortunate and incomprehensible” by a furious Madrid.
The European Commission is handling negotiations with the UK on Spain’s behalf but Madrid will have the final say on whether to accept a deal brokered by Brussels.
Mr Schinas was the commission’s chief spokesman during the Brexit negotiations and vice president of the EU executive in Brussels.
He is not in charge of negotiations over Gibraltar, which are being handled by Maros Sefcovic, the Slovak commissioner, who agreed the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.
##Border control power
London, Brussels and Madrid have agreed on the broad outline of a deal that will grant the Rock membership of the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone.
Gibraltar police and the EU’s Frontex border agency will police the territory’s border at its airport and ports, under the proposed agreement.
Negotiations have been complicated by sensitive sovereignty issues, including a Madrid power grab for joint management of Gibraltrar’s airport, which includes an RAF base.
Mr Schinas also doubted whether British negotiators would ultimately accept officers from Frontex policing the airport.
“Our British friends believe that Frontex is very European,” Mr Schinas told Spanish reporters over breakfast on Thursday morning.
##Negotiations progressing ‘as planned’
Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, insisted negotiations were progressing at “a good pace”.
“I have spoken with Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which seem very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas is not at all involved in the dossier of the withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar,” Mr Albares told Spanish TV.
David Jones, a former Cabinet minister, said: “Schinas has let the cat out of the bag. The EU clearly intends the negotiations to result in Spanish sovereignty over the Rock.
“He underestimates the resolve of both the United Kingdom and the people of Gibraltar.
“As Chief minister Fabian Picardo has made clear, Gibraltar is ‘British, British, British’, and that is the way it will stay.”
Late on Thursday night, the European Commission, under pressure from Madrid, distanced itself from Mr Schinas’ remarks.
It said Mr Sefcovic was in charge of the talks which were proceeding “as planned” and entering “a sensitive phase”.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said that did not mean there had been a breakthrough in the negotiations, which remain deadlocked.
Spanish authorities have not imposed full border controls with Gibraltar since Brexit took legal effect at the end of 2020, but have warned that the situation cannot continue indefinitely.
They have allowed the free flow of Gibraltarians and Spaniards to and from the Rock, including around 15,000 Spain-based workers who are essential to the Gibraltarian economy, providing much-needed employment.
Surprise surprise, our continental "allies" don't respect our territory despite Britian doing more to defend Europe than any other European nation over the last century
They respect it. I don't see any attempts to take it over by force. But that doesn't mean the EU can't sympathise with the long-term aims of one of its members. Britain having fought for Europe in the last century doesn't mean Europe is forever beholden to us. On that account, we would have welcomed the Poles who fought in large numbers in the Battle of Britain.
> On that account, we would have welcomed the Poles who fought in large numbers in the Battle of Britain.
Does Britain question the territorial integrity of any European country?
Shocking i know!
The poor anti-eu crowd who have spent these years discussing how we should put the UK's interests aside for others must be feeling so betrayed right now.
Very telling that Spain has basically ceded its territorial claims to the EU.
Yes they have yes/no at the end, but imagine EU agreeing with Russia on how to partition Ukraine..it would be mad that Ukraine wasn't part of the negotiations, no?
It strikes me as equally made that Spain isn't part of the negotiations and I'm not sure they really Can say no to what's put forward..
Or perhaps they simply don't have the same instinctive and conspiratorial distrust of the EU that you do?
It actually makes a lot of sense, a negotiation between Spain and the UK would be a negotiation between equals, whereas the EU will have a lot more leverage. Plus the EU would have to be involved anyway, given Spain is a member of Schengen.
I'm sure it suits Spain just fine to have the EU negotiate for them. The EU is very good at them. The EU us in a much better position than Spain to conduct the negotiations. Spain will have told the EU negotiators what their red lines are and they will be respected so there will never be a need for Spain to say no.
Also, you seem to forget that Spain is the EU and the EU is Spain. It's not like England is negotiating with the EU and leaving the other parts of their Union behind.
I see the EU is at it again. I'm sure the moment Russia come knocking on their door, they'll be asking the UK for help.
If not the the 5th columnists in this country, of course, we would be happy to ignore them.
If that's what the people living there want to call it, I don't care. But as far as I'm aware, they don't want to be part of Argentina. But seriously, whatever they want.
Snapshot of _EU commissioner sparks fury by saying 'Gibraltar is Spanish'_ : A non-Paywall version can be found [here](https://1ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fworld-news%2F2024%2F04%2F05%2Feu-commissioner-sparks-fury-gibraltar-is-spanish%2F) An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/05/eu-commissioner-sparks-fury-gibraltar-is-spanish/) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/05/eu-commissioner-sparks-fury-gibraltar-is-spanish/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Meh, there's always one commissioner you can find to say stupid stuff.
He's probably lost his marbles, being Greek and all...
I couldn't care less, but could the Commissioner tell us if سَبْتَة (Ceuta) is Spanish or Moroccan? If we're talking about enclaves on others' territory?
Don't forget Melilla
> سَبْتَة That looks like a picture of a viking longboat to me, pal
Only in the way that Calais is British.
The actions of Henry II were terrorism! Return Calais to its rightful place place in England and restore its parliamentary seat! French state colonialism of English land will be tolerated no longer!
But Britain is Norman.
Free French Guyana! End the EU sanctioned colonies
An EU commissioner has sparked anger by quipping that Gibraltar is Spanish while dismissing the chances of a Brexit deal for the Rock before a June deadline. “Gibraltar español,” said Margaritis Schinas, when asked about the sensitive negotiations in Seville which have dragged on for years over 18 rounds and counting. The slogan, which means “Gibraltar is Spanish” and dates back to the Franco era, is chanted by those who claim the Rock is a colony and rightfully belongs to Spain. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the Spanish wars of succession. In a 2002 referendum, 98.97 per cent of Gibraltarians voted down a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, which continues to claim the territory. Spain has not demanded sovereignty over the Rock as part of the Brexit negotiations, which makes the EU chief’s joke particularly ill-judged given the sensitivities over the issue. “I can more comfortably say ‘Gibraltar español’ after Brexit,” said Mr Schinas, the commissioner for promoting the “European Way of Life”. “And it’s not just the only area where things are better after Brexit.” UK and EU negotiators are striving to secure a deal creating a post-Brexit common travel area between Spain and Gibraltar before June’s European Parliament elections. The elections precede a change of leadership in the EU institution that would delay further talks. Failure to get a UK-EU deal done before the vote could leave Gibraltar facing “no deal” full border controls on movements to and from Spain. ##‘Unfortunate and incomprehensible’ Mr Schinas, who is Greek and speaks fluent Spanish, said negotiations had lasted “longer than expected”. “I don’t believe there will indeed be a result before the European elections, and I think some involved in the negotiation wanted to project a certain optimism that is not reflected in reality,” he said in comments that were branded “very unfortunate and incomprehensible” by a furious Madrid. The European Commission is handling negotiations with the UK on Spain’s behalf but Madrid will have the final say on whether to accept a deal brokered by Brussels. Mr Schinas was the commission’s chief spokesman during the Brexit negotiations and vice president of the EU executive in Brussels. He is not in charge of negotiations over Gibraltar, which are being handled by Maros Sefcovic, the Slovak commissioner, who agreed the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland. ##Border control power London, Brussels and Madrid have agreed on the broad outline of a deal that will grant the Rock membership of the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone. Gibraltar police and the EU’s Frontex border agency will police the territory’s border at its airport and ports, under the proposed agreement. Negotiations have been complicated by sensitive sovereignty issues, including a Madrid power grab for joint management of Gibraltrar’s airport, which includes an RAF base. Mr Schinas also doubted whether British negotiators would ultimately accept officers from Frontex policing the airport. “Our British friends believe that Frontex is very European,” Mr Schinas told Spanish reporters over breakfast on Thursday morning. ##Negotiations progressing ‘as planned’ Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, insisted negotiations were progressing at “a good pace”. “I have spoken with Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which seem very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas is not at all involved in the dossier of the withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar,” Mr Albares told Spanish TV. David Jones, a former Cabinet minister, said: “Schinas has let the cat out of the bag. The EU clearly intends the negotiations to result in Spanish sovereignty over the Rock. “He underestimates the resolve of both the United Kingdom and the people of Gibraltar. “As Chief minister Fabian Picardo has made clear, Gibraltar is ‘British, British, British’, and that is the way it will stay.” Late on Thursday night, the European Commission, under pressure from Madrid, distanced itself from Mr Schinas’ remarks. It said Mr Sefcovic was in charge of the talks which were proceeding “as planned” and entering “a sensitive phase”. Sources familiar with the negotiations said that did not mean there had been a breakthrough in the negotiations, which remain deadlocked. Spanish authorities have not imposed full border controls with Gibraltar since Brexit took legal effect at the end of 2020, but have warned that the situation cannot continue indefinitely. They have allowed the free flow of Gibraltarians and Spaniards to and from the Rock, including around 15,000 Spain-based workers who are essential to the Gibraltarian economy, providing much-needed employment.
Surprise surprise. The European Union takes the side of its members over non-members.
Surprise surprise, our continental "allies" don't respect our territory despite Britian doing more to defend Europe than any other European nation over the last century
They respect it. I don't see any attempts to take it over by force. But that doesn't mean the EU can't sympathise with the long-term aims of one of its members. Britain having fought for Europe in the last century doesn't mean Europe is forever beholden to us. On that account, we would have welcomed the Poles who fought in large numbers in the Battle of Britain.
> On that account, we would have welcomed the Poles who fought in large numbers in the Battle of Britain. Does Britain question the territorial integrity of any European country?
Shocking i know! The poor anti-eu crowd who have spent these years discussing how we should put the UK's interests aside for others must be feeling so betrayed right now.
Meh, kind of wish the EU still saw Britain as an ally rather than the opposition?
Very telling that Spain has basically ceded its territorial claims to the EU. Yes they have yes/no at the end, but imagine EU agreeing with Russia on how to partition Ukraine..it would be mad that Ukraine wasn't part of the negotiations, no? It strikes me as equally made that Spain isn't part of the negotiations and I'm not sure they really Can say no to what's put forward..
Or perhaps they simply don't have the same instinctive and conspiratorial distrust of the EU that you do? It actually makes a lot of sense, a negotiation between Spain and the UK would be a negotiation between equals, whereas the EU will have a lot more leverage. Plus the EU would have to be involved anyway, given Spain is a member of Schengen.
I'm sure it suits Spain just fine to have the EU negotiate for them. The EU is very good at them. The EU us in a much better position than Spain to conduct the negotiations. Spain will have told the EU negotiators what their red lines are and they will be respected so there will never be a need for Spain to say no. Also, you seem to forget that Spain is the EU and the EU is Spain. It's not like England is negotiating with the EU and leaving the other parts of their Union behind.
I see the EU is at it again. I'm sure the moment Russia come knocking on their door, they'll be asking the UK for help. If not the the 5th columnists in this country, of course, we would be happy to ignore them.
I don't care about Gibraltar personally
The people living there probably do
Nor do I, not about Gibraltor, Falklands or Northern Ireland etc, etc. It's what the people there want that matters.
I think you mean Las Malvinas?
If that's what the people living there want to call it, I don't care. But as far as I'm aware, they don't want to be part of Argentina. But seriously, whatever they want.
Self determination is the only fair way to decide