A survey released on Monday indicates that 64% of Spaniards want the UK to stay in the EU.
A majority of Europeans on the continent reject Brexit. Over 54% believe that Britain should not leave.
But it is Spain where the highest percentage was to be found hoping for the status quo, according to a poll from the Bertelsmann Foundation in Germany.
Following on were Poland where 66% want Britain to maintain its membership along with 54% of Italians.
Barely half (52%) of our old pals, the French, however, were in favour of Britain remaining.
Spain was also the country which would be least likely to vote to leave the EU in a referendum. Given the choice, 74% said they would vote to remain. For other countries, the majority was in favour of remaining, although the percentages dwindled to just 54% in Italy and 52% in France.
Spain is fearful of losing trade links in the event of Brexit. Earlier this month, a clutch of the country’s most influential business leaders sent an open letter to the Financial Times.
Fashion giant Inditex, telecoms leader Telefónica, global energy firm Iberdrola, and construction company Ferrovial, along with Santander and Sabadell banks, which have all have huge investments in the UK, expressed their concern.
“While respecting the decision of the people in the United Kingdom, we believe that a Europe without the UK would be weaker, just as the UK itself would be weaker outside Europe,” they wrote. “We believe the case for Europe has never been stronger.”
A drop in the value of sterling could limit the number of British tourists and dent the €14 billion they contribute to the economy.
As for expats, the true number in Spain could is estimated to be as high as one million
Acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy earlier this month said "a Brexit vote could mean expats losing the right to live and work in Spain."
More than 400,000 British citizens officially live and work in Spain, in comparison to 100,000 Spanish citizens who live and work in the United Kingdom, he claimed.
