Gibraltar: the rock of contention between Spain and the United Kingdom

Text by: Arnaud Jouve Follow

7 min

Gateway to the Mediterranean to the south of Spain, the British enclave is still the subject of litigation between the two countries.

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Located at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, this 6.8 km2 British enclave, nicknamed the rock, is dominated by a rocky massif of 426 m, and includes a town, a port and even an airport whose single runway is crossed by the main road axis which connects Gibraltar to Spain. A territory which is among the densest in the world with more than 30,000 inhabitants (more than 4,200 inhabitants per km2), all subjects of Queen Elisabeth II . A strategic place described in Greek mythology as the gateway to the Mediterranean where one of the two columns of Hercules stood. 

The most contested rock in Europe

During Antiquity, the rock was called "Mount Calpé", from the name of the one who would have shaped the Pillars of Hercules, this monumental gateway between Africa and Europe. It was not until the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 by a Muslim army, led by a certain Tariq, for the name to change and become "Jebel Tariq" ("the rock of Tariq") which, by deformation over time, would become "Gibraltar".

The rock, entry point into Europe of the Muslim army from Africa in the 8th century, will then be taken over as part of the “Reconquista” (“Reconquest”) by the Kingdom of Castile in 1309. Then will fall under the control of al-Andalous (the kingdom of Granada) until its fall in 1492 to become again for two centuries a land of the crown of Spain.

In 1700, King Charles II died without leaving an heir and plunged the kingdom of Spain into a serious succession crisis which put a definitive end to the reigns of the House of Habsburg when the great European powers agreed on new sharing of territories. In this context, the English, with the help of the Dutch, recovered the rock in 1704 and, by the Treaty of Utrecht, Gibraltar was officially ceded to the crown of England.

In the 18th century, the Spaniards and the French were allies against the English whom they attacked on all fronts. Gibraltar will then be the object of a fierce siege but will remain British. The rock has since been crown land of England at the southern end of Spain.

Between Spain and Great Britain

Gibraltar is still a land of contention between Spain and England. Arms have given way to diplomacy, but litigation remains and is regularly the subject of political offensives or pressure at the land border, 1.2 km long. One of the most important attempts was that of General Francisco Franco , Spanish head of state from 1939 to 1975, who appealed to the UN to recover the rock and who imposed a blockade on Gibraltar by closing the border in 1969. It was not until 1985 and the preparations for Spain's entry into the European Union (January 1, 1986) for this system to be completely lifted.

In response to multiple Spanish political initiatives to recover the small territory, following a first referendum in 1967 affirming the self-determination of the peninsula, a second referendum was organized by the Gibraltar authorities on November 7, 2002 so that the population s 'expresses the possibility of shared sovereignty between Spain and Great Britain. The result is clear: 98% of residents say they want to remain full British citizens.

As soon as Brexit was announced (the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union), the question was raised again on the future of Gibraltar. The Spanish government once again raised the possibility of shared sovereignty between Madrid and London. But Gibraltarians, although overwhelmingly in favor of staying within the European Union, remain attached to Great Britain. Because in Gibraltar, the population, which was made up of successive layers of arrivals (Maltese, Genoese, Hebrews, Arabs, Portuguese, etc.), feels as much British as they are European.

A small border at the center of great discussions

The issue of the rock, which is now part of the discussion points between London and Brussels, should, except for a new agreement approved by Madrid, re-establish on January 1, 2021 a physical border between the two countries. This decision could in particular revive the discussion on the statutes of the neighboring enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Morocco having made it known that once the Gibraltar issue has been resolved, that of the occupied cities of Ceuta and Melilla (Spanish enclaves in Morocco) will be reopened with the Spanish authorities in order to end centuries of occupation.

Spain, for its part, has long pleaded for Gibraltar to remain in the European customs union and adhere to single market standards as for Northern Ireland. As the Spanish Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, put it , " we have to look beyond the eternal dispute over sovereignty to see how to improve the economic situation in the region  ". Because the whole stake is essentially there for the "Llanitos", the 33,140 inhabitants of this territory (of which 2,500 live in Spain because of the lower real estate prices), and for many cross-border workers very dependent on the activity. economics of the rock. The region of Spain bordering Gibraltar, Andalusia, being one of those with some of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Restoring the border could jeopardize 13,000 jobs for Spanish and foreign workers who come to the rock every day.

An economy in repositioning

Gibraltar, which has no natural resources exploited on its territory, apart from a desalination plant and offshore fishing activities, has an economy traditionally dominated by military and naval activities. The activity of shipbuilding and naval maintenance yards, which has long been the main economic resource, has declined considerably, from 60% in 1984 to 7% in 2004, giving way mainly to the financial services sector. and tourism.

Considered a tax haven and classified as such until 2009 by the OECD, Gibraltar has, for many years, attracted many British banks (at the time European), which have made it a place of international finance. The very low corporate tax rate has encouraged the establishment of a large number of businesses. In 2013, 18,000 companies were officially registered in Gibraltar. Companies among which we find many bookmakers and online gaming operators but also large British store chains (Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, BHS ...) seduced by the fact that goods and services are sold tax free on the added value. There are also tourism companies to respond to the attraction of the rock, which has become a scenic stopover for cruise tourism.

Today, Gibraltar must find new answers to revive its economy outside the EU, which it will no longer be able to call on to defuse crises as was the case in 2013 following a dispute over territorial waters. An economy therefore in repositioning which has played a lot on its specificity and its European membership, henceforth very worried about its financial future outside the EU and by the consequences of the coronavirus which will particularly affect the tourism sector very hard.

Military interest

A bottleneck for maritime passages between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Africa and Europe, Gibraltar has always been a strategic area widely used militarily to control maritime traffic entering and leaving the Mediterranean. To do this, Gibraltar concentrates many forces: the British Forces Gibraltar, a regiment in charge of the defense of the peninsula, a Royal Navy squadron responsible for the security and integrity of British territorial waters and the air forces of the Royal Air Force. Gibraltar would probably also be an important listening and intelligence center for telecommunications to North Africa. But above all, Gibraltar has a significant NATO base where British and American nuclear submarines refuel. An essential place for defense whose military interest takes precedence over all economic and local issues. A strategic land at the forefront of Europe which will certainly remain for a very long time to come, a land of contention between all those who want to control it.

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• Nato
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• European Union
• Disputed territories

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