Gibraltar's Instituto Cervantes to open on April 4th as part of the institute in Britain

GIBRALTAR (Text: Panorama, with some language editing) The Spanish 'Instituto Cervantes' is to open a branch in Gibraltar on 4th April. Director Francisco Oda is said to be waiting for the arrival of the furniture and the computers to get things going. But problems of another nature have emerged in that the usual practice would be for Prince Philip to open the new office, but this is Gibraltar, so he will not be coming, nor any other Royal. Instead, some lower ranking official may undertake the official opening when that takes place. The former Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos had suggested that he might come to Gibraltar to undertake the chore, but he is no longer a Spanish minister. The new incumbent, Trinidad Jimenez, does not appear to be enthusiastic about Gibraltar.>
The opening of the institute has met with one problem after another, not least finding a building which the Spaniards would find acceptable.
In the end Bland Ltd offered part of their building on the corner of Irish Town and Market Lane for free, which was taken up for a symbolic rent of £10 a year.

Many people see the institute as a Trojan Horse, says a Spanish report, with Spain using it to indoctrinate Gibraltar with its culture and language, with political undertones. They want to improve the knowledge of Spanish, which the average Gibraltarian cannot understand what for, as the level of Spanish spoken here makes everyone understood in Spain.

The classes that are to open may find more usefulness with business and such people.

It is believed that the Gibraltar branch will not represent recognition of Gibraltar as a separate, British entity, as some sources have been suggesting. The plan is for it to be a branch of the Instituto Cervantes in Britain.

Meanwhile, it is normal practice for the institute to open in countries where there is already Spanish diplomatic presence, but the Spanish consulate that used to be here in Franco days has long ceased to exist.
By being a branch from a UK-based Cervantes Institute, the Spanish government will say that they are recognising Britain - and not Gibraltar.