Spain could veto Brexit talks, Margallo says

[Denzil_DC]

The Spanish Government will veto the terms of any Brexit negotiation between the UK and the EU that sought to include Gibraltar, Spain’s acting Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo said yesterday.

The minister said once the UK activates the withdrawal process under Article 50 of the EU treaty, the European Council must agree the broad terms of the withdrawal negotiation “by unanimity”.

Against that context, Spain would “make clear that Gibraltar does not belong to the UK” and would “have the right to veto” if it did not agree with the negotiation framework, Sr García-Margallo said.

He said once the UK was outside the EU, Gibraltar must be seen as “a third territory”, adding that Brexit would have “very serious consequences for Gibraltar economy and for the Spanish workers who worked there”.

http://chronicle.gi/2016/07/spain-could-veto-brexit-talks-margallo-says/

Heh.

[elleng]

1. HA! STILL between a ROCK

and a hard place!

[Denzil_DC]

2. This continues a long campaign by Margallo

to use Brexit as a lever to provoke bilateral discussions with the UK over the status of Gibraltar, while offering Gibraltarians a way to stay in the EU. This from 2 July:

No 6 hits back at ‘repugnant’ suggestion from Margallo

...

Speaking at a press conference, José Manual García-Margallo again said joint sovereignty was “the only solution” for Gibraltar to remain within the EU after last week’s Brexit vote.

...

Sr García-Margallo was speaking in a press conference after meeting his Argentine counterpart, Susana Malcorra, and discussing the possibility of a joint strategy on Gibraltar and the Falklands in the wake of Brexit.

...

No 6 Convent Place {the Gibraltar Government HQ} said that, given the precedent set by Denmark and Greenland, it was “perfectly possible” for a part of an EU Member State to remain in the bloc while ... another part left.

It said that in the context of the UK, this could mean that ... its constituent parts were redefined to include Scotland, Gibraltar, London and any other region that voted to remain.

http://chronicle.gi/2016/07/no-6-hits-back-at-repugnant-suggestion-from-margallo/

[mwooldri]

3. Different parts of the UK in and out of EU?

Having the Channel Islands and Isle of Man outwith the EU but within the UK for citizenship is one thing. How England and Wales could join them on their outside the EU, inside the UK is something I can't comprehend. Besides with Greenland/Denmark what happened is Greenlandic independence. The only way I can see this work is if the UK was scrapped and replaced with a British Isles Union that sort of works like the EU does now. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar can then be in the EU and the British Union as sovereign states. England and Wales would be part of the British Union but not the EU.

Brexit, along with scrapping the UK and replacing it with a new Union of British Nations might not be a horrible way to go - at least in the long term. The permanent seat at the UN might be an issue, as all the parts of the UK could lay claim. It might be worth giving it up and having a developing nation take it.

[Denzil_DC]

4. Greenland isn't independent.

Although described broadly as "autonomous", its political situation more closely resembles that of Scotland if devolution had progressed more quickly here. It may eventually become independent. To cut a long story short, via Wikipedia:

On 21 June 2009, Greenland gained self-rule with provisions for assuming responsibility for self-government of judicial affairs, policing, and natural resources. Also, Greenlanders were recognized as a separate people under international law.[52] Denmark maintains control of foreign affairs and defence matters. Denmark upholds the annual block grant of 3.2 billion Danish kroner, but as Greenland begins to collect revenues of its natural resources, the grant will gradually be diminished. It is considered by some to be a step toward eventual full independence from Denmark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland#Home_rule_and_self-rule