Spain Continues To Implement Brussels Process Measures Without Gibraltar's Consent

by Caroline Maxwell, Tax-News.com, London

03 January 2003

Media commentators in Gibraltar have observed that Spain appears to be continuing to implement measures agreed upon during the Brussels Process negotiations on Joint Sovereignty, despite the fact that not only has Gibraltar not accepted the agreement, but the Anglo-Spanish talks on joint sovereignty remain stalled over 'red line' issues.

The Iberia News service this week cited the recent allocation by Spain of 100,000 new telephone numbers to Gibraltar under the 8563 numbering plan as the latest example of this, observing that the move follows 'the introduction of the second traffic channel at the border into Spain from Gibraltar, which was introduced early last year following agreement with Britain, and as part of the appeasement procedure agreed between the UK and Spain to lead Gibraltar into Joint Sovereignty discussions.'

According to Iberia News, the vast majority of the Rock's population reject the dual implications of recent Spanish moves - namely that the implementation of appeasement procedures suggests that an agreement on joint sovereignty is achievable under the current framework, and that Spain is granting Gibraltar special privileges in exchange for its cooperation.

'Mainstream opinion,' the local news service observed, sees the situation as: 'Spain offering Gibraltar benefits it should under EU and international law already have by right, and not actually lifting the restrictions imposed on Gibraltar which have for so long created the main rift between Spain and Gibraltar.'

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