Disputes – International

In 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain. Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy. At the same time, Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters. Morocco also serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa. Spain's neighbour to the west, Portugal, does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz.

Illicit Drugs

Despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and hashish for distribution to the European market. Spain is a consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish. It is also a destination and minor trans-shipment point for Southwest Asian heroin, and a money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organisations and organised crime.