The Gibraltar Issue in the Contemporary Relations Between Spain and Great Britain

The study examined the Spanish-British relations in the context of Gibraltar issue at the current stage. It dates back 300 years, but still complicates partnership between London and Madrid. Started with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, in the XX the problem of Gibraltar transforms from the bilateral to trilateral dimension due to the changed position of Gibraltarians. Decolonization process addressed the status of the last colony in Europe. Negotiations on decolonization with the UN committee have born no fruit and the issue remains open in the XXI century. Today even the European Union is involving in solving the problem, since it hinders from conducting a common policy within the EU. Gibraltar does not belong to the European Union Customs Union, and as a British overseas territory it is also excluded from Schengen-zone. Gibraltar has a strategic significance, and both sides concerned are the NATO members, which requires great care in solving it. And today everything will depend on the Gibraltar’s stance and the trilateral dialogue between the parties articulated in the Forum of the “Dialogue on Gibraltar” held in 2004, which has already proved its effectiveness in the Cordoba agreement of 2006. In this regard, it is obvious that the Treaty of Utrecht becomes particularly important, since the prospects of the Gibraltar problem will depend on its transformation in the light of new realities and the need to use trilateral approach to find a compromise.