Thousands of tonnes of stone from a quarry in Málaga are being transported and used in a controversial landfill project along Gibraltar’s eastern coast. This is sparking a diplomatic and environmental row. The Spanish prosecutor’s office in Cádiz has opened an investigation after environmentalists filed complaints. They accuse the British territory of defying both Spanish and EU environmental laws.
The stone, sourced from Votorantim Cimentos’ quarry in Casares, Málaga, is being used to create new land for a massive tourism project in Gibraltar. According to the environmental group Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción, over 30,000 tonnes have already been transported by truck across the border. Gibraltar, which left the European Union as part of Brexit, sits adjacent to La Línea de la Concepción, one of Spain’s most economically vulnerable areas.
Massive tourism project in protected zone
The Eastside Project, being executed by TNG Global, aims to revitalise the eastern coastline of the Rock of Gibraltar. This ambitious development involves constructing 1,300 residential units, a 200-room hotel, and a marina for yachts and other vessels. Moreover, proponents tout it as a major boost for the area. However, the site falls within a protected zone under the EU’s Natura 2000 network and Spanish law. The landfill operation appears to directly violate Spain’s 2012 Royal Decree, which prohibits reclaiming land from the sea in this region to protect its unique habitats.
Bureaucratic blame game
While the trucks keep rolling, authorities seem stuck in a bureaucratic limbo. Environmental activists have taken their complaints to Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition, the Andalucian government, and even to the European Union. However, responsibility continues to be passed back and forth. The Spanish Foreign Ministry has confirmed it has formally protested Gibraltar’s actions several times, calling them a violation of international law and EU regulations.
Accelerated works amid delicate talks
Experts note the increased pace of the work as tensions run high around the future of Gibraltar’s status post-Brexit. Dr. Jesús Verdú, an international law professor, criticised Spain’s apparent lack of action, labelling it a failure of due diligence in defending Spain’s interests. “It is society, through an environmental group, that has demanded the enforcement of the law, rather than the state itself,” Verdú remarked.
Meanwhile, as administrative blame shifts, the trucks from Málaga continue their journey, expanding Gibraltar’s coastline one load at a time, and deepening an already tense dispute.
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