On October 18, 1995, Spanish fighters have again flown at low altitude over the Selvagens islands. These spanish planes identified by the sentries of the Selvagens natural reserve as being F18 planes, have clearly violated the Portuguese air space. They first flew over "Selvagem Grande" around 200 meters from the sentries’ house and then over "Selvagem Pequena" prior to their return to the base in the neighbouring Canarian islands.

Two days after this incident, on the return to Angola, the Portuguese frigate "Corte Real" deviated from its course to go to the Selvagens, on a supremacy mission never directly adopted by the Portuguese Army: "To show the flag". These are the most recent episodes of the real diplomatic story between Portugal and Spain relating to the power over the Selvagens islands. This is an old saga that recently reached its peak when the United Nations threatened to consider these islands as rocks.
This measure, which would mean the loss of 200 nautical miles of Exclusive Economical zone in favour of Spain was avoided to the limit due to the protests of the Regional Government of Madeira and to the strong position taken by the Portuguese Ministry of Defense.

On this conflict of neighbours concerning (other) bordering waters, there is a clear indication that Portugal will finally be able to strenghten its authority with the revalidation of the European Environment Diploma granted in 1992. Francis Roux, the European Council expert in charge of the inspection on whether Portugal was complying to the European environmental recommendations or not, visited the Selvagens islands in the middle of October past and had no doubts to consider, at the end of his scientifical expedition, that these islands should remain as Portuguese islands, ecologically well preserved.

A team from the program "Sea Watch" went to the Selvagens and lived during 3 weeks on that paradise of marine birds just in the company of two nature watchmen. They then heard tales of pirates, they ate bread like the natives of the Selvagens, they saw Spanish fighters and a Portuguese frigate passing by, they plunged into deep blue waters with colourful fishes and slept to the sound of the cicalas and the sea.

(Source: RTC)