Marcelino Oreja is renowned as being one of the most committed experts on the European Union, having been on one of the politicians who helped Spain gain entrance into the bloc.
Claiming Spain has been in the “front row” of Brussels since the beginning, he believes his country will now go on to lead alongside France, Germany and “perhaps also Italy”.
But the Eurocrat, who was in power during the European Union’s mass expansion, has now hit out at the UK over its plans to leave the bloc – claiming voters do not know what they want.
He said: “The problem of Britons is that they do not know what they want because the conservatives and the Labour party want to leave in very different ways.”
His comments come amid confusion after Labour made a shocking u-turn on its Brexit position after the party stated its plans to campaign to stay in the single market.
In a brutal attack, Mr Oreja suggested that the ‘flip flopping’ in parliament shows that the UK may still be undecided.
He said “I remember Schumann explaining in the 1950s what he wanted to do with the European Community.
“They created obstacles, but then they realised that he had to be in. They did it in 1973 and two years later they called a referendum.
“Then Thatcher came saying that we had to give them back their money.
“And now, Brexit. No one calls a referendum to lose it. And that’s what Cameron did.”
As Britain continues with Brexit negotiations in Brussels, Gibraltar has remained the subject of much tension between the UK and Spain.
Spain has a long-standing territorial claim on Gibraltar, which has been held by the UK since 1713, but Theresa May has insisted that its status will not be up for discussion during exit talks from the EU.
But Mr Oreja added that the negotiating process must be carried out under the principle that “no agreement with Gibraltar may adversely affect Spain, and that for us is a guarantee.
“Gibraltar is another pending matter.”