Wednesday, June 28, 2023 - 10:21

Airport sovereignty concerns stall treaty negotiation says The Times

A disagreement over the airport may derail the Gibraltar treaty according to an article published in The Times yesterday. It highlights that the UK and Gibraltar are concerned that there are issues of sovereignty and jurisdiction creeping into the negotiations. This point is backed up by considerable detail and confirmed by London, Gibraltar and even Madrid.

FRAMEWORK
The newspaper quotes the Governor, Vice Admiral Sir David Steel, as having said that the Spanish have asked for “a regulatory framework over the management of the airport which implies Spanish jurisdiction, which is not something that Gibraltar can tolerate.” This echoes comments made by the Chief Minister only a few weeks ago when he warned that there had been no treaty agreed so far because the “ingredients of sovereignty” were emerging in the negotiations. However, the Governor has further told The Times that although the New Year’s Eve Agreement set sovereignty to one side, Spain has now reintroduced it.