The European Court of Justice ignored a request from the British Government asking for a Spanish judge to step back from hearing a sensitive court case relating to Gibraltar’s territorial waters.

Both Britain and Gibraltar have now had their appeals over the designation of part of Gibraltar waters as a Spanish Site of Special interest.

At both appeals the same Spanish judge was on the panel of judges.
Brilliant EU impartiality.

Rosario Silva de Lapuerta, a Spanish judge who served for many years in the Spanish government and is the daughter of a founding member of what is now the Partido Popular

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=25806


http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26969


http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26968

Power without accountability.

This quote seems fitting:

" While not unique to the EU, these problems of democratic legitimacy have received particular attention in Europe, where the delegation of power to supranational institutions and agencies often is considered one component of the EU’s “democratic deficit” (e.g., Lord, 1998; Schmitter, 2000; Karlsson, 2001; Arnull and Wincott, 2003). Problems typically mentioned include technocratic decision-making, lack of transparency, insufficient public participation, exploitation of supranational discretion, and inadequate mechanisms of control and accountability. This is a critique that has been directed at all three main forms of supranational executive power in the EU."

The Spanish Government yesterday passed legislation banning land reclamation and the offshore storage of fuel in Gibraltar waters, in a move that threatens a serious clash between the UK and Spain over jurisdiction.

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26980

In a somewhat ironic twist given the background of the fishing dispute, the Spanish management plan for the SAC also seeks to limit the use of nets, rakes and long lines

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26979

Why does London need Gibraltar? Time to revoke the Treatry of Utrecht and give it back !

Surely the decision to remain British is one that the people of Gibraltar are free to make.

From your user name may I ask are you in favour of rebuilding Hadrian's Wall?

are you serious ?

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as it was built to keep the Scots out most Englishmen would be prepared to give a week of their time helping - so long as the weather was guaranteed to be nice.

Then you'd also have to give Newfoundland back to France and Sicily back to Switzerland.

I don't think London is that bothered, it's the people who live in Gib who don't want to be part of Spain. A third of them are of Spanish origin but they hate Spain because Franco closed the border for nine years and separated them from their families. You have to respect their wishes.

oh there are people who are bothered, but we can't tell you who or why or we would have to kill you

why not give all of Iberia back to the Greeks ? - they are looking for somewhere to make worse than themselves. Perhaps the Portuguese expats would feel happier with that than being merged back into a single Iberia by the Romans.
But then Italy has only been a single nation for less than 200 years so why not give everything back to the old single states.??
What about giving the Channel Islands back to France - or was it just Normandy in those days ??

Gibraltar will never be considered until Madrid (but it used to be Cadiz and Seville) considers and resolves the Cueta and Mellila problem.

And does the UK really want the USofA back ?
Does France want Canada back ? (well probably but thats another story)

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Rebuild Hadrian's Wall and give Britannia (ie England) back to the "Imperium Romanum".

Do they respect the wishes of the people of Cueta which Spain occupies?

Who, the Gibraltarians? I've no idea. But the Ceutans want to stay Spanish, they don't want to be ruled by Morocco. That is Spain's excuse for hanging onto it, essentially the same as Britain's stated reason for hanging onto Gib. They both claim they are respecting the wishes of the inhabitants.

So, therefore, Spain should stop laying claim to Gibraltar if they are willing to respect the wishes of the inhabitants. Personally I think Gibraltarians want Gibraltar to remain British because of the tax status if this was removed would they still be bothered?

I think they would be bothered.
Who on earth in their right minds would want to be a part of Spain under present circumstances with future prospects looking even worse.

With regard to Ceuta, I wonder if they'd prefer to retain their Spanish connection were it not for the fact that they benefit quite nicely from EU handouts, somewhat ironical I would have thought considering they are part of the African continent rather than Europe.

They could still have the special tax status and be an independent state like Andorra and Lichtenstein.

I think its more the territorial waters that are causing the conflict these days. Since Franco's days Spain isn't actually claiming the Rock belongs to them. There's a lot of money to be made in offshore refuelling ...