Spain may block Brexit draft ‘if Gibraltar is automatically covered by a future trade deal’
Foreign minister Josep Borrell said his country would refuse to sign off on it unless Brussels gives it legal assurances on its veto rights
SPAIN has threatened to block the Brexit deal unless it spells out that a future trade deal won’t automatically cover Gibraltar.
Foreign minister Josep Borrell said Madrid was shocked by the Withdrawal Agreement and is demanding an urgent explanation from Michel Barnier.
Meanwhile France wants “side declarations” on fishing and following EU rules to be included in the trade blueprint to show Britain the cost of leaving.
Paris is insisting on the clauses, including one demanding access to UK waters and another on tough Level Playing Field provisions, despite Mr Barnier warning they could torpedo the deal.
Yesterday Mr Borrell vowed his country will refuse to sign off on the text unless it receives legal assurances from Brussels over its veto rights.
He said Spain had been stunned by a new section urging both sides to reach an understanding on future relations by the end of the transition.
Madrid is worried the wording doesn’t specify that Gibraltar would be excluded from the trade deal unless it agrees otherwise with the UK.
He fumed: “We want to make sure the interpretation is clear and shows what’s being negotiated between the EU and UK doesn’t apply to Gibraltar.
“Until that’s clear in the exit text and the political declaration over the future relationship, we won’t be able to agree to it.
“The negotiations may not be so peaceful as they seem. In Europe, it’s not over until it’s over.”
But No 10 hit back at the Spanish claims last night amid concerns the deadline for announcing a deal is slipping due to last minute EU demands.
Mrs May’s official spokesman said: “The PM has been clear that we will not exclude Gibraltar and the other overseas territories and crown dependencies from our negotiations on the future relationship.
“We will get a deal that works for the whole UK family.”
And Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo stormed: “It’s no surprise that we are seeing the Spanish Government raise issues at the last minute.
“The position taken by the Spanish Government today does little to build mutual confidence and trust going forward. The language of vetos and exclusions should be the language of the past. It has no place in the modern Europe of today at a time when both the UK and Gibraltar are trying to build a new positive future relationship with the EU.”
Technically the withdrawal pact will be decided by a majority vote, meaning Spain doesn’t have a veto, but in reality Brussels won’t go ahead without all capitals on board.
And Madrid already has a veto on any future trade deal applying to Gibraltar as it will need to be approved by all 27 Member States under current EU rules.
Spain secured an EU pledge in the March future partnership guidelines that any trade deal won’t apply to Gibraltar without its say-so.
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France’s demands came after the Netherlands claimed Britain caved in by agreeing a legally binding vow to negotiate a fisheries agreement.
In a letter to the Dutch parliament, foreign minister Stef Blok said the UK now accepts a deal must be ready to go by July 1, 2020.
He wrote: “The outline will establish a link between the wider economic partnership and the conclusion of a legally binding fisheries agreement with the UK, which includes access to waters.
“Initially, the UK only wanted informal talks about this instead of binding agreements.”
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