EU warns Spain over Gibraltar border tax
Print Edition
The European Commission said yesterday it hoped Britain and Spain would be able to resolve their latest dispute over Gibraltar by themselves but warned that Spanish threats to impose a border tax would be illegal.
Spokesman Olivier Bailly said the entry tax suggested by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo was not official but added that “any tax or fees imposed at the border of a member state will be illegal under EU law. Illegal. Not in line with EU law.”
The row stems from Gibraltar’s construction of an artificial reef, which Spain says affects its fishermen. In apparent retaliation, Spanish police enforced border control checks on cars entering Gibraltar, creating massive tailbacks.
The dispute has led to a sudden souring in diplomatic relations. Spain says it will take all legal measures to defend its interests while Britain pledges to stand by Gibraltar.
Yesterday, a Royal Navy warship arrived in Gibraltar for what the British government said was a planned naval exercise in the Mediterranean.
Spain ceded sovereignty of Gibraltar to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but has persistently sought its return.
The fishermen claim the reef of around 70 concrete blocks — some with steel rods protruding — could snare and damage their nets and have stopped fishing there.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has defended the border controls, saying they are needed to combat drug and tobacco smuggling.
Besides floating the idea of charging people entering and leaving Gibraltar 50 euros (US$66) to provide compensation for the losses that the fishermen face, Margallo has also talked of investigating Gibraltarians living in Spain for possible financial fraud.
Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo says the reef protects fish stocks from being over-exploited.
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