SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
(a) We recommend that
the British Government give formal notice now to the Spanish Government
that if border delays are not brought down significantly to a
reasonable length by a specified date it will commence proceedings
in the European Court of Justice under Article 227 (paragraph
7).
(b) We conclude that
the Spanish Government is deliberately trying to curtail the development
of Gibraltar as a commercial centre and that it is unacceptable
that Spain's inadequate allocation of telephone numbers to Gibraltar
remains unresolved 5 years after it was put before the Commission
in 1996. We recommend that the Government take a far firmer line
with both the Spanish Government and the EU Commission on this
issue. We further recommend that the Department examine the scope
provided under EU Treaty legislation for the British Government
to take this issue to the European Court of Justice and report
its conclusions in its Response to this Report (paragraph 10).
(c) We recommend that
the Department in its Response to this Report set out how it intends
to ensure that the people of Gibraltar are enfranchised before
the 2004 elections (paragraph 12).
(d) We recommend that
the Government in its response to this Report sets out how it
intends to achieve progress towards an agreement on Gibraltar
Airport (paragraph 13).
(e) We recommend that
the Department in its Response to this Report states whether the
Spanish Government is co-operating fully and expeditiously with
the intended introduction of the Single European Sky (paragraph
14).
(f) We recommend that
the Department should have a firm policy of publicly rebutting
factually inaccurate statements and unproven allegations made
publicly by Spanish Ministers about Gibraltar, and we wish to
be assured by the Department in its Response to this Report that
such a policy will be followed (paragraph 18).
(g) We fully recognise
that the present Government inherited a number of the problems
over Gibraltar. However, we remain very concerned about the lack
of progress on the enfranchisement of British citizens resident
in Gibraltar and in resolving the disputes over border delays
and telephone numbers. Gibraltar lies within the territorial area
of the EU. We expect the Government to ensure that Gibraltar fulfills
its obligations under EU law, but above all, to uphold the rights
of Gibraltar and Gibraltarians under the EU Treaties with the
same determination and rigour as it would in any part of the United
Kingdom (paragraph 19).
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