UK Government protests Spanish maritime incursion at Gibraltar

Provocative and annoying Spanish government tactics impacting the major online gambling jurisdiction of Gibraltar and the thousands of Spanish and British people employed there by the industry have been a source of irritation for much of this year, with excessively delayed border entry repeated violations of Gibraltar’s territorial waters.

More maritime trespassing on the 18 and 19 November prompted the British government to summon Spanish ambassador Federico Trillo to the Foreign Office Tuesday for a stern warning that the United Kingdom “…remains confident of its sovereignty over the whole of Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.”

Acting Permanent Under Secretary Matthew Rycroft charged that the Spanish incursions into Gibraltar’s territorial waters are unlawful and do not change international law or weaken the legal basis for British sovereignty.

During the meeting, Rycroft highlighted the unacceptable border delays which continue to affect Gibraltarians and tourists, as well as large numbers of Spanish commuters benefiting from employment in Gibraltar, on a near-daily basis.

The UK expects the Spanish government to act on recommendations to improve the situation without delay, he said.

This is the third time the Spanish Ambassador has been publicly summoned in relation to Gibraltar since the current Spanish government took office in December 2011.

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