Gibraltar

Britain's Mediterranean territory Gibraltar decided on Aug. 15 to free a seized Iranian oil tanker, but did not immediately indicate when or if the ship would set sail after the United States launched a new, last-minute legal bid to hold it.

 British Prime Minister Theresa May was headed back to Brussels on Saturday to defend the planned Brexit divorce deal even as Spain threatened to boycott an EU summit meant to endorse it, reported AFP.

He pointed out that he would do so if Spain's direct role in negotiating the future of Gibraltar is not recognized.

Cyprus and Britain are very close to a Brexit agreement on the status of the British bases on the eastern Mediterranean island after Britain leaves the European Union, Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Tuesday.

He told state television in an interview that the negotiations have reached the "final straight," meaning they are close to the end.

The government of Gibraltar warned that it could deprive the rights and protection of Spanish and other European citizens on the territory if Madrid were to use its veto and exclude Gibraltar from the Brexit agreement, the Guardian said.

Belgium with its victory in Bosnia and Slovenia with a draw with Scotland, made Greece’s job tonight easier. Greece, on her side, won inside Cyprus and now what separates us from the participating in the group of eight teams that will try to get the last four European tickets for the World Cup in Russia, is Gibraltar.

Gibraltar will not be a victim of Brexit and has had guarantees from the British government it will not do a trade deal with the European Union which doesn't include the territory, its chief minister said on Sunday cited by Reuters. 

Spain is likely to wield a veto over any Brexit deal for Gibraltar after the EU-27 backed Madrid in its draft negotiating guidelines for forthcoming divorce talks between the UK and the bloc.
Gibraltar is a disputed territory, which Britain has held for centuries. For the UK, any Brexit deal would automatically apply to Gibraltar, since it claims it as British territory.

Gibraltar is not anymore on Bulgaria's "tax haven list", the European Commission website shows.

Local daily Gibraltar Chronicle points to the development as a result of "intensive lobbying" by Gibraltar's Finance Minister Albert Isola and the Gibraltar Finance Bulgaria team.

While British citizens will be going to the polls next June to decide in a referendum whether the UK should be part of the EU or go its own way, the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo sees this a great opportunity for his country to claim Gibraltar, if a Brexit occurs.