After the victory of the “yes” in the “Brexit” referendum, a long shadow appeared in Gibraltar, a region that belongs to Great Britain but is connected to the rest of Europe through Spain. Now, after three years of negotiations, many citizens of this small overseas territory are wondering what the future will be.
Hundreds of inhabitants of this small peninsula, located in one of the southernmost points of Europe, cross the border every day to go to work, shop or even visit relatives in the neighboring country. However, despite the love they profess for their neighbours, they are very critical and do not look favorably upon the Spanish State. “The border tells citizens that Gibraltar is not Spain and, at the same time, prevents Spain from entering Gibraltar”, affirmed Jeniffer Ballentine-Perera, from the Garrison Library, one of the historical points of the peninsula.
“No agreement is going to be comfortable for either party, even something that takes many weeks to settle is going to be annoying because we are going to have to get used to a different way of operating in relation to the movement of goods and our system of immigration”, admitted Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltarwho will be present at the talks between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the coming week.
The problems of a tougher border with its neighboring nation is that several of the people who work in that territory They come from towns that are in the vicinity of GibraltarLike The Line. “It’s going to be terrible, I have to work, my boyfriend has to work; I also study. People who have to cross the border for work reasons will arrive late, which will make it impossible to have a normal life”, emphasized Sharon, a citizen of this territory, to the BBC.
The look of Madrid
This topic is very hot not only in the UK, but also in Spain, where this region is highly discussed due to its political and geographical importance. However, despite the fights, both sides of the confrontation agreed that, when dealing with this issue, the sovereignty of Gibraltar will not be debated.
Now, facing the dialogue between the parties, from Madrid they have a very good look at the future of the relationship between the states. “I see a constructive spirit on the part of the British to be able to reach an agreement on the peninsula,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Reuters during his visit to the Davos economic forum.
