EU irks Britain by calling Gibraltar a 'colony'

[rooster59]

EU irks Britain by calling Gibraltar a 'colony'

By Gabriela Baczynska

 

FILE PHOTO: The European Union flag, the Gibraltarian flag and The Union Jack are seen flying, at the border of Gibraltar with Spain, in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, historically claimed by Spain, November 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain complained about the European Union calling Gibraltar a "colony" in a piece of draft legislation on Friday, highlighting how the EU is lining up behind Spain in its territorial dispute as Britain quits the bloc.

 

The 27 remaining member states agreed to offer Britons visa-free travel to the EU after Brexit in March, even if talks on a broader withdrawal treaty collapse, on condition that Britain offers the same terms to EU citizens visiting for up to 90 days.

 

But diplomats said Britain's ambassador to the EU had objected to the wording of the text; it placed the 33,000 people of Gibraltar in a different category from UK citizens -- with the same travel rights -- and it also spelled out Spain's claim to sovereignty over "The Rock" at the United Nations.

 

In particular, it stated: "Gibraltar is a colony of the British Crown. There is a controversy between Spain and the United Kingdom concerning the sovereignty over Gibraltar."

 

Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman insisted Gibraltar was not a "colony". The port at the mouth of the Mediterranean, ceded to Britain by Spain in 1713 after a war, was a "crown colony" when Britain joined the European bloc in 1973 but London reclassified it as a "British overseas territory" in 2002.

 

"Gibraltar is not a colony and it is completely inappropriate to describe in this way," a British spokeswoman said. "Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family."

 

The wording has, however, been used in other EU texts. The European Court of Justice said in rulings in 2006 and 2017 that Gibraltar was "a colony of the British crown" and not part of the United Kingdom.

 

Britain had not raised specific objections to the wording in those cases, officials said, but was irritated by Spain's push to push the phrase and the sovereignty dispute into legislation in the present circumstances.

 

"DECOLONISATION"

 

Spain's claim to sovereignty makes use of U.N. rules on decolonisation. Those, among other things, limit the weight given to the preferences of people living in a territory; Gibraltarians favour remaining British, despite having voted overwhelmingly against Brexit in the 2016 referendum.

 

Spain had sought a more sweeping reference to UN resolutions on colonies, diplomats said, but France objected to protect its interests in some of its own overseas territories.

 

The text agreed by the 27 governments will be discussed by the European Parliament and the EU executive in order to finalise a regulation giving Britons visa-free access.

 

Recalling how EU policy on Gibraltar had so far largely favoured Britain, which joined the bloc before Spain, a senior EU official told Reuters recently: "Now the table has turned."

 

"The Union position ... was the British position ... But with Brexit, the Union position is now the Spanish position. We will always take the side of a member against a non-member," the official said.

 

Spain has already secured a right of veto over whether future Brexit arrangements can apply to Gibraltar. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held up an agreement on the current withdrawal treaty in November over the issue and said Spain would seek joint sovereignty after Britain leaves the EU.

 

Spanish sources said this week that Madrid would insist on excluding Gibraltar from all agreements between Britain and the EU once Britain has left.

 

But there is concern among other EU countries that Madrid's hard line could disrupt efforts to ease Britain out of the bloc. EU diplomats point to the territorial issue as one of those that could fray the unity the 27 have shown in negotiations so far.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-02

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Recalling how EU policy on Gibraltar had so far largely favoured Britain, which joined the bloc before Spain, a senior EU official told Reuters recently: "Now the table has turned."

 

"The Union position ... was the British position ... But with Brexit, the Union position is now the Spanish position. We will always take the side of a member against a non-member," the official said..."

 

This is the proverbial 'Brave New World' for the UK; in a short time, you will no longer have the wholehearted backing of the world's largest economic area behind you as you negotiate, but rather against you when dealing with the EU.

 

It can be a sad, scary feeling after all these years, but the simple fact is now when the UK is in a dispute with someone, and that moment arrives when you look over your shoulder to be reassured that you've got your mates at your back, there ain't going to be anyone there.

 

The UK needs to make a few... adjustments in its world view and the UK's place within it.

 

Sigh...

 

It was all so unnecessary...

 

PS I would also point out that all those 'superior trade deals' that the pro-Brexit people talked about are going to occur with the same limitations; simply put, the UK has weakened itself greatly just before trying to to negotiate a better economic future. How do you think that will go? I will hope for the best, but expect something less...

 

 

[Spidey]

Spain can give Ceuta and Melilla back to the Moroccans.

[sungod]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

Spain can give Ceuta and Melilla back to the Moroccans.

I note they are both classed as Spanish autonomous cities, not colonies.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

Spain can give Ceuta and Melilla back to the Moroccans.

And who’s on your side to make them do that?

[Spidey]

12 minutes ago, sungod said:

I note they are both classed as Spanish autonomous cities, not colonies.

And Gibraltar is not a colony, it's British Overseas Territory. Semantics really.

 

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

And who’s on your side to make them do that?

Morocco and the UN. As they are with Spain's continued claims to Spanish Sahara (now known as Western Sahara)

[Jai Dee]

An offensive troll comment has been removed.

[sammieuk1]

Easy to sort just counter claim Benidorm is a British colony it would be easy to prove???? 

[nausea]

2 hours ago, Spidey said:

Spain can give Ceuta and Melilla back to the Moroccans.

Doesn't France have some overseas territories too, maybe these should be reclassified as colonies.

[Basil B]

As I recall the rock has some very big guns that just need recommissioning and turning round... 

 

I am sure we would also like to think should the Moroccans wish to lay claim to former Moorish territories on the Iberian peninsular the UK will support them. 

 

 

[Spidey]

5 minutes ago, nausea said:

Doesn't France have some overseas territories too, maybe these should be reclassified as colonies.

French Guyana, Martinique, Guadalupe, Reunion, Mayotte, to name but a few.

[overherebc]

Build a wall it will be SO great, really great, the best.

[Sydebolle]

It is time to close down and switch off the light at the circus in Brussels; the world in general and Europe in particular has bigger fish to fry than to deal with such idiots on the EU pay roll. 

On the other hand, look at it from the positive side. The more those EU morons bark and whine the more united the UK will be; they never liked (nor needed) to take instructions from some non-elected self-profiling neurotics - anywhere!  

[evadgib]

UK can and will return the compliment via the Basques/Catalans in Spain & minorities in other member states if this disgraceful posturing continues post 29 March.

[Srikcir]

2 hours ago, Spidey said:

Semantics really

The Union position ... was the British position

[Bluespunk]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Britain complained about the European Union calling Gibraltar a "colony"

Why? That’s what it is. 

[Spidey]

17 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

The Union position ... was the British position

Was not is. Read the OP.

[Spidey]

7 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Why? That’s what it is. 

Nope. British Overseas Territory.

[Chippy151]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain complained about the European Union calling Gibraltar a "colony" in a piece of draft legislation on Friday, highlighting how the EU is lining up behind Spain in its territorial dispute as Britain quits the bloc.

Snowflakes.

 

Just kidding.

[Bluespunk]

Just now, Spidey said:

Nope. British Overseas Territory.

Call it as you will, it’s still a colony.

[Spidey]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

Call it as you will, it’s still a colony.

Call it what it's called. British Overseas Territory

 

 

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Call it what it's called. British Overseas Territory

 

 

The British are perfectly entitled to call it a BOT, but it was still seized after a war and occupied by the foreign power.

 

That’s a colonial acquisition.

 

It’s a colony. 

 

A status the british themselves acknowledged up to 2002. 

[Spidey]

3 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The British are perfectly entitled to call it a BOT, but it was still seized after a war and occupied by the foreign power.

 

That’s a colonial acquisition.

 

It’s a colony. 

It wasn't seized. The Spanish gave it to us as a prize for winning.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, Spidey said:

It wasn't seized. The Spanish gave it to us as a prize for winning.

They sure did. 

 

Then the british colonised their new colony. 

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

It is time to close down and switch off the light at the circus in Brussels; the world in general and Europe in particular has bigger fish to fry than to deal with such idiots on the EU pay roll. 

On the other hand, look at it from the positive side. The more those EU morons bark and whine the more united the UK will be; they never liked (nor needed) to take instructions from some non-elected self-profiling neurotics - anywhere!  

!914-1918-20 million dead.

1939-1945.80 million dead.

 

No ,I don't think that control should be handed back to the sundry nationalist states.

 

Peace was imposed upon Europe by the US and the USSR.It is not for nothing that British Historian Mark Maslower describes Europe as "The Dark Continent"

 

Altho' Keith Lowe cuts to the chase and just calls it what it is-"Savage Continent."

[Spidey]

10 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

They sure did. 

 

Then the british colonised their new colony. 

No. They migrated to their new British Overseas Territory.

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

No. They migrated to their new British Overseas Territory.

Really...you might want to read the OP and note how the british classified their “prize” up to 2002. 

[evadgib]

Disputed status of Gibraltar

British Overseas territories

[melvinmelvin]

To call Gib a colony or a BOT offer low degree of precision

 

Both colony and BOT are fairly wide concepts.

 

Gib is a so-called BDT, British Dependent Territory.

Formerly referred to as a crown colony.

Ie handled by a local gov that is empowered by the Crown.

 

Normally pretty sovereign under the Monarch, except when it comes to foreign policy and defence policy.

 

Only two left now I think,

Gib and probably Bermuda, can't be bothered to look into the Bermuda nitty gritty.

 

 

[Sir Dude]

All this bickering is irrelevant. The people who live in Gibraltar want to be British and remain within the British setup/system (voted convincingly for it too) just like those on the Falkland Islands did as well. The British government today is one of the fairest in the world on this sort of matter and has repeatedly said that if the people that occupy these territories decide to go it alone or not be under the UK flag and want to join some other setup then they would be allowed to do so. The UK was prepared to let Scotland go it's own way if it wanted to, plus would let Northern Ireland to do so too if they wanted to...and would allow these small islands to do so as well. Fact is they (democratic voters on Gibraltar) don't so the argument should be over. The bullying fascists of Brussels seem to be happy to toss democracy out-the-window on this one and back the intolerant Spanish freedom of will oppressors.  

 

As for Spain, bunch of fascists really when you see how they treat the Catalans, Basques etc. so hardly surprising those on Gibraltar don't want to join them. If I lived on Gibraltar I'd be way pissed-off with the EU & Spain for totally disregarding the will of who actually lives there.