EU support for Spain
Move by pro-independence Catalan parties and the British to remind the chamber that Gibraltar is anti-Brexit fails, Farage claims unfair treatment
The Catalan independence movement allied with the British yesterday to try to prevent Gibraltar becoming hostage in the Brexit negotiations, but to no avail. Spain's diplomacy was backed by the larger groups of the European Parliament (Populars, Social Democrats, Liberals, The Left, The Greens ...) in rejecting an amendment that sought to remind the chamber that Gibraltarians, as did their Scottish and Northern Irish, voted in favour of remaining in the EU referendum by a substantial majority. In doing so, the Chamber supported Spain's veto regarding issues involving the former colony.
With 516 votes in favour, 133 against and 50 abstentions, MEPs approved the conditions for the UK's divorce from Europe, setting down red limits that are not binding but that governments should consider, before the European Parliament ratifies the final agreement in 2019. The issue of Gibraltar is poisoning the negotiations, especially after the sounding of war drums and references to Thatcher and the Falklands conflict. Paradoxically, Rajoy is (or was until now) one of May's strongest best allies in getting an easy Brexit.
Wearing his Union Jack socks in the chamber in Strasbourg, the anti-EU Nigel Farage accused European governments of behaving like a “mafia” whose sole purpose is to “punish” the British and warned that the Spanish strategy with “Gibraltar could break the negotiations.”
Both Catalan pro-independence parties, ERCand PDeCAT, voted to support British ammendments to the vote denouncing “the outright intrusion of Spain in the future of Gibraltar.”