MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Spain insists in blocking Gibraltar from EU single sky measures
García-Margallo has been pressing for Gibraltar to be excluded from a new trench EU Single Sky measures, currently frozen because of the row Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo has renewed his bid to have Gibraltar excluded from the European Union aviation measures. According to Spanish wire reports he raised the issue in Riga during a conference of foreign ministers which was intended to focus on the crisis with Russia and Ukraine.
García-Margallo has been pressing for Gibraltar to be excluded from a new trench EU Single Sky measures, currently frozen because of the row, and said the proposal had been well received by EU partners as well as Ukraine. It simply seeks to apply the measure to all airports except Gibraltar and leave that to UK-Spain bilateral talks.
The Spanish minister said he had spoken with Philip Hammond, his UK counterpart.
“He expressed his view I expressed mine,” said García-Margallo repeating the thesis that the airport was not ceded under Utrecht. He said that Spain could not accept anything that would “recognize British sovereignty” over the isthmus. But he pointed to Basle like agreements between UK and Spain.
“Spain is very willing to look for a solution to this issue…a joint use of the airport by UK and Spain” he declared.
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Read all comments“Spain is very willing to look for a solution to this issue…a joint use of the airport by UK and Spain”
Mar 10th, 2015 - 10:22 am 0There was one reached. It was called the Cordoba Agreement. Spain has resiled from this - it never built its airport access and so we currently have a huge new airport which is 1/3 unused and ends at the border.
It has also resiled from all its other obligations under the Cordoba Agreement, whereas Gibraltar and the UK have adhered to theirs.
“repeating the thesis that the airport was not ceded under Utrecht”
I see that once again he ignores all subsequent treaties. Still, there is a place for him to test this. It is called the ICJ. Unless he agrees to take this to court, then he has no argument.
A conference focussing on what amounts to a civil war in a country neighbouring the EU, clearly it's definitely the place for Spanish attempts to derail random of mutually (across the entire EU) beneficial agreements because they haven't been allowed to annex their neighbours.
Mar 10th, 2015 - 11:00 am 0Talk about toys being thrown out of the pram.
Sideline it as an exception, for this little place chock full of convenient exceptions, rest of the world can then move along productively.
Mar 10th, 2015 - 12:00 pm 0Margallo to win this one.
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