EU Mission Set to Defuse Bitter Gibraltar Feud

An EU team tasked to defuse a bitter feud between Spain and Britain over Gibraltar will center on tit-for-tat allegations of smuggling and border control abuses, the European Commission said Tuesday.

The team, which begins work on Wednesday, will attempt to soothe the row dividing London and Madrid over the British Mediterranean outcrop.

The latest episode in the long dispute broke out in July after Spain introduced stringent border checks which have led to long waits for motorists trying to enter the territory.

Gibraltar has accused Madrid of imposing the checks in retaliation for its decision to place concrete blocks in the sea as part of its efforts to improve fishing.

Spain denies this and blames Gibraltar for a sudden increase in tobacco smuggling to the Spanish mainland.

"The delegation will look at installations and checks carried out at the entry and exit... on both sides of the border as well as issues related to alleged smuggling," the commission said in a memo explaining the plans.

However, the team will not assess the much contested sea walls, the commission said, as a parallel investigation is already under way.

Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity in 1713 but has long argued that it should be returned to Spanish sovereignty. London says it will not do so against the wishes of Gibraltarians, who are staunchly pro-British.

In a welcome diversion from economic woes, leaders in both countries have not shied away from nationalistic chest-thumping during the feud.

British Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month praised the people of Gibraltar for facing "the pressures of recent months with enormous dignity" and said their relationship with Britain was "solid, sure and enduring".