This British rock for more than three centuries has become a real diplomatic headache. To the point of imagining a reintegration into Spain?
The first condition would first be a favorable vote from Gibraltarians. In the past, they have been asked twice for their opinion. In 1967, when Franco’s Spain went to the United Nations, a referendum was held in Gibraltar. Result : 99.64% wanted to remain under British sovereignty. Admittedly, Franco’s Spain may have worried the inhabitants of Gibraltar.
But in 2002, a new referendum was held at the request of Spain, which had become a democratic member of the European Union. Question: do you want shared sovereignty between Spain and the United Kingdom? Answer : 98.48% no. Gibraltarians would have liked to remain European, but at the same time they feel British.
For now, the situation remains manageable since the free movement of people is still possible while waiting for a treaty in good and due form between Europeans and British to settle the question. So far we discuss, but without result.
Obviously, if border control was restoredit would be very complicated for a territory which, today, lives mainly from tourism and trade.
But luckily for the people of Gibraltar, they have a secret weapon: a… macaque colony, the only wild monkeys in Europe. There is a saying that as long as there are monkeys, Gibraltar will remain British. Moreover, during the Second World War, in addition to the strategic role that the rock had, there were only a few monkeys left. Less than ten. Churchill hastened to have the colony repopulated. Today there are nearly 300. In Gibraltar, one attaches oneself to what one can.