Brexit – Spain's Chance to Seize the Rock?

The success of the UK’s Brexit negotiations with Europe hinge on the approval of the remaining 27 member-states, which include those with historical claims on British territories that they now see an opportunity to revisit.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has seen her list of obstacles to a final Brexit agreement extended as the Spanish Foreign Minister called for the international airport of the territory of Gibraltar to come under joint administration of the two countries.

Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister @AlfonsoDastisQ says Spain will demand joint management of #Gibraltar airport after Britain leaves the EU. This is the same minister who called the blatant images of police brutality against Catalan voters on 1 Oct 'fake news' on @BBCNews & @CNN. https://t.co/ONctcv6HZF

— Tim Parfitt (@tjparfitt) February 26, 2018

@AlfonsoDastisQ like his predecessor, Jose Maria Margallo (also known as El Ministro Chuleta in some circles, for his ability to tense conversations) can stick the joint managing of our British Gibraltar airport where the sun don’t shine! 🇬🇮🇬🇧🇬🇮🇬🇧🇬🇮

— RockCalpean (@Rockcalpean) February 26, 2018

As an EU-member state, Spain retains the right to veto any agreement between London and Brussels that it finds objectionable. Despite the territory voting overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union in the June 2016 membership referendum, the Spanish Government threatened that a Leave result would invited renewed claims from Madrid on Gibraltar.

READ MORE: What is Awaiting Gibraltar Amid Brexit?

The territory is one of Britain's longest held overseas possessions, coming under UK sovereignty in the early 18th century in the wake of the Spanish Wars of Succession. Madrid has ever since reiterated its claims on the strategic peninsula overlooking the gateway to the Atlantic and past which flows half of the world's sea-borne trade.

Throughout that latter part of 2017, Theresa May's negotiations with the EU were in danger of sinking due to the impasse over whether a hard border will be established between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. A preliminary agreement reached at the last minute in December essentially delayed resolution of the issue until later in the negotiations.