Gibraltar Considering All Options for Staying in EU After Brexit

Gibraltar is considering all possible options to stay in the European Union following the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the bloc, Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told Sputnik on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia headed to London for a number of meetings, including talks with First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, on the possibility of Scotland and Gibraltar remaining in the European Union. Picardo and Sturgeon agreed that technical experts from the two governments should meet and review the situation.

"We are assessing all aspects for now and will not be making further comment at this stage," Picardo said when asked what possible options for the territory after Brexit were.

As the overall number of Brexit supporters in the United Kingdom was 4 percent larger than the number of those opposing the move (52 percent versus 48 percent), in Gibraltar, the support for EU membership reached 95.79 percent.

The situation for Gibraltar after Brexit is complicated by the fact that the Spanish government may block its access to the single European market, thus causing a decline in the territory's services-based economy.

Gibraltar, which enjoys broad autonomous powers, has been controlled by London since 1713, when Spain ceded the region to Britain, but Madrid is still trying to return it. Following Brexit, Spanish authorities reiterated the proposal on joint sovereignty over Gibraltar with the United Kingdom, which Picardo harshly rejected.