A slip of a pen by a British bureaucrat has thrown the sovereignty of Gibraltar into question by allowing Spain to lay claim to its shores in the name of conserving birds and bats. The mistake was made by a civil servant who was applying for European Union protected habitat status for the coast.The official made an error in a map reference on the document and consequently submitted an application for an area of coastal waters near Algeria. Meanwhile, Spain, which has claimed Gibraltar as its own territory for more than 200 years, submitted, without informing London, a successful EU application to create an "Estrecho Oriental" conservation zone that includes the British territory.The mistake, which was made in 2006 but only spotted recently, theoretically gives Spain responsibility for managing the Rock's coastline and waters as a special "Site of Community Interest" (SCI), a development that has dismayed Gibraltar's government.
The mistake was made by a civil servant who was applying for European Union protected habitat status for the coast.
The official made an error in a map reference on the document and consequently submitted an application for an area of coastal waters near Algeria.
Meanwhile, Spain, which has claimed Gibraltar as its own territory for more than 200 years, submitted, without informing London, a successful EU application to create an "Estrecho Oriental" conservation zone that includes the British territory.
The mistake, which was made in 2006 but only spotted recently, theoretically gives Spain responsibility for managing the Rock's coastline and waters as a special "Site of Community Interest" (SCI), a development that has dismayed Gibraltar's government.
