Britain To Take Unilateral Action Over Euro-Vote For Gibraltar

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

08 July 2002

The government of Gibraltar revealed last week that the United Kingdom is set to act unilaterally over the enfranchisement of Gibraltar for European voting purposes, following Spain's continued refusal to cooperate.

In a statement, the Rock's authorities announced that the UK government has been unable to obtain an amendment to the 1976 EC Agreement on Eurovotes to include reference to Gibraltar because Madrid has vetoed it, and revealed that Britain is now preparing to act unilaterally.

Reports in the Gibraltarian media have welcomed the news, although the consensus appears to be that - despite the fact that the eventual outcome will be the same - amending the EC Treaty would have been the preferred and 'proper' way of achieving a voice within Europe.

Referring to the European Court of Human Rights ruling which ordered the UK to incorporate the Rock into an existing constituency for voting purposes (as the territory's population is too small to warrant an MEP of its own), the Gibraltar government observed that:

'It is...worthy of note that Spain has insisted on leaving in place, for the whole of the European Union, language in a treaty which the European Court of Human Rights has ruled constitutes a violation of human rights.'

The locally-based Panorama news service reported on Friday that the Gibraltar and UK authorities are now in discussion over the logistics of enfranchising the territory and its population. The Gib government last week reiterated that: 'It is very important that the people and the territory of Gibraltar, and not just the people of Gibraltar, be enfranchised.'

It emerged last month that there is a possibility that the low tax jurisdiction could become a part of the West Midlands, for the puposes of voting in Europe at least. Impressed by the degree of patriotism displayed by Gibraltar's residents throughout the sovereignty dispute, Philip Bradbourn, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands offered to step into the breach.

'I was in Gibraltar recently and I saw the pride with which they fly the Union Jack,' he observed. 'It is that same pride with which I represent the West Midlands.'

The MEP for the 5.3 million strong constituency, which takes in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Walsall, added that: 'We want the opportunity to welcome Gibraltar into the European Parliament as part of the West Midlands.'

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