The UK is challenging the right of Spain to manage a stretch of water surrounding Gibraltar

The UK has been locked in conflict with the Spanish government over the stretch of water for over two years, after it discovered that the European Commission (EC) had agreed the area could be listed as a Spanish conservation zone or “Site of Community Importance” (SCI).
The responsibility for maintaining an SCI, which includes carrying out regular assessments to help protect it from environmental threat, is usually only granted to states which own the area in question. This particular stretch however, known as Estrecho Oriental, overlaps both the coordinates of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and an existing UK SCI, the Southern Waters of Gibraltar.
The UK's legal case against the designation was lost at the end of May, but William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, announced on Monday that the UK would be appealing.
“The Government is clear that only the UK can submit sites covering BGTW. Spain cannot enforce the management or monitoring of the specific area in question. There is therefore a risk that, given its lack of access to this site, Spain will make decisions without accurate scientific information which could have detrimental environmental or economic impact on Gibraltar and BGTW,” he said.
“The Government has a clear responsibility to uphold the UK’s position over the waters around Gibraltar. I want to reassure the people of Gibraltar that we will defend their interests on this matter.”

 

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