Gibraltar
Spain threatens blockade: A dispute between Spain and Gibraltar over fishing rights could turn into an economic blockade of the tiny British territory at the entrance to the Mediterranean. The spat began two weeks ago, when boats from Gibraltar dropped concrete blocks into the sea to create a reef as a fish habitat. Spain complained that the reef would block its fishing boats, and imposed border checks in retaliation, slowing traffic and trade onto the peninsula and forcing Gibraltarians to wait for hours in searing heat to cross to their homes. As the dispute escalated, Spain threatened to impose fees to cross the border. Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, said Spanish leaders were behaving like erratic dictators. “The Spanish have always claimed rights to Gibraltar’s waters that they don’t have,” he said.
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