Another Rock on the Road to Brexit: Gibraltar Status of British territory long claimed by neighboring Spain could further complicate EU-U.K. talks By Jenny Gross The Wall Street Journal March 30, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET After a year of tortuous negotiations on the U.K.'s exit from the European Union, many Britons have learned that Brexit isn't just about Brexit. One of the more obscure complications for London involves Gibraltar, a small British territory near Spain's southern tip. A House of Lords committee wrote to Brexit secretary David Davis on Wednesday demanding clarity on the government's position on Gibraltar, saying the U.K. must commit to maintaining an open border between Spain and the territory, and to take action to ensure that Britain's exit from the EU, expected next March, doesn't damage the territory's economy. Spain and the U.K. have been wrangling over Gibraltar since 1704, when Anglo-Dutch forces captured the territory. Nine years later, it was ceded to Britain, but ever since Spain has wanted it back. Gibraltar proved key to Britain's naval domination in the Mediterranean in the 18th and 19th century. The three-centuries-old spat over the small, rocky outpost on the Iberian peninsula represents just one of many bilateral issues Britain's imminent departure from the EU is bringing to the surface. Spain is one of 27 countries whose special concerns could impinge on negotiations. All the other 27 EU members have to approve the conditions of Britain's withdrawal, and Spain's concerns could weigh heavily in negotiations. In Gibraltar, where 96% of people voted in Britain's June 2016 referendum to remain in the EU, Brexit has immediate implications on the ground. The territory's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said in an interview he was concerned about its impact on residents who depend on trade and an open frontier with Spain--particularly the 13,000 people who cross the border daily to work. He also expressed worries that Spain could use Brexit to press its longstanding attempts to reclaim the territory. Gibraltar had been let down in the past by the U.K., and Brexit revives a host of contentions between the territory and Spain, Mr. Picardo said in a speech Wednesday. "We must remain eagle-eyed to ensure that we are not let down over the issues that now arise," he said. Mujtaba Rahman of Eurasia Group says the territory's future status is yet another complication for negotiations. "It's a problem," Mr. Rahman said. "Madrid sees it has leverage and will likely seek some concessions...for its cooperation." While Spain is one of the friendlier countries toward the U.K. in Brexit negotiations and doesn't want Gibraltar to derail a deal, it has shown itself willing to use EU issues to raise pressure on Britain for concessions over the territory. One possible target: joint control of the airport in Gibraltar, which Spain claims lies outside the territory covered by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. In 2014, Spain threatened to block the U.K.'s attempt to opt-in to a host of European Union police and criminal justice agreements, a move EU diplomats said at the time was driven by tensions with London over Gibraltar. That was resolved but Spain has been blocking a push to revamp Europe's aviation sector since 2016, saying new rules shouldn't apply to the Gibraltar airport as long as it is under British control. Outside of Gibraltar, the more obvious difficulty for the U.K. and the EU is over Britain's land frontier with Ireland. That issue reignited in recent weeks when the EU proposed creating a common economic area on the island of Ireland after Brexit, a step that would separate Northern Ireland economically from the rest of the U.K. While Dublin has said it won't accept a deal leading to a physical border separating Ireland and Northern Ireland, London's plans to diverge from some EU rules make border checks unavoidable, according to the EU's top negotiator. Brexit has also opened up a Pandora's box of other border issues. It has raised concerns about whether U.K. airlines will have the same rights to operate in the EU post-Brexit, since they would be outside some EU regulations. Questions also loom over British territories in Cyprus and over EU countries' access to U.K. waters for fishing once Britain leaves. Timothy Boswell, chairman of the House of Lords EU committee, visited the border between Spain and Gibraltar this month. Any attempt post-Brexit to increase checks at the border could put a severe strain on the border-crossing infrastructure, he said. Mr. Boswell called on the government to provide reassurance that the border between Gibraltar and Spain will continue to be open. Clare Moody, a British member of the European Parliament representing Gibraltar, said she was concerned that amid the multitude of issues Brexit arises, the U.K. government won't set out clearly what Brexit will mean for the territory, creating uncertainty for businesses. "We've seen all through the Brexit process, the government has said, 'This a bit difficult, we'll just park a decision on it,'" Ms. Moody said. "There is no room for fudge on this." Laurence Norman contributed to this article. https://www.wsj.com/articles/another-rock-on-the-road-to-brexit-gibraltar-1522402202