Spain has cleared the way for Gibraltar to be considered a “colony” for the first time in international law, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The European Parliament’s Commission of Freedoms, Justice and Interior approved on Wednesday exemptions on visa regulations, where the Spanish government has introduced a footnote that defines Gibraltar as a “colony of the British Crown”.
The motion is pending following a vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament and ratification by the EU.
The controversial new law gained 38 MEPs votes for the motion, eight against and three abstained. Eurosceptics tried to calm a row which broke out with Claude Moraes, a British speaker who was removed from his post for refusing to call Gibraltar a “colony”.
The European Council later ratified the motion following Mr. Moraes’s dismissal.
Socialist and populist MEPs have pushed for the regulations despite criticisms from parts of the chamber, who blamed Madrid for Mr. Moraes’s dismissal.
“Here we are talking about the next elections in Spain,” James Carver, MEP from the Eurosceptic party UKIP said.
“It is a shame that they have allowed the Spanish government to hijack this report,” Julia Reid, Mr. Carver’s UKIP colleague said.