11-Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Minister for Europe
As you will have seen, the UK, Gibraltar and
Spain agreed in Cordoba, Spain on 18 September on a wide-ranging
package of agreements covering the Gibraltar Airport, telecommunications,
the border crossing and pensions. I wanted to write to give you
further information about the agreement.
You will recall that the Tripartite forum was
set up by Jack Straw, Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and Chief
Minister Caruana on 16 December 2004. Its establishment recognised
that any progress on cross-border issues would have to include
the people of Gibraltar. The forum principally agreed to focus
on practice cross border issues that would have benefit to the
people of Gibraltar and the neighbouring region.
The Trilateral Ministerial meeting in Cordoba,
which followed five formal meetings at senior official level over
the past 18 months delivered a cross cutting agreement on four
important areas:
— An airport agreement that
will benefit the people and businesses of the region. It will
end Gibraltar's exclusion from EU Aviation measures and is likely
to increase the range of destinations available to passengers
travelling from Gibraltar including to Spain. The Spanish will
also end restriction on the use of their Airspace, thus permitting
safer take-offs and landings. A (much needed) new terminal building
will also be constructed whilst British sovereignty and operational
control of the airfield remain safeguarded.
— On the border crossing the introduction
of red and green customs channels should greatly improve pedestrian
and traffic flows between Gibraltar and Spain. This is will be
a significant improvement forte workers, tourists and businesses
that rely on the border crossing.
— An agreement on telecommunications
will relieve the limitations on dialling to Gibraltar from Spain
through Spanish recognition of Gibraltar's international dialling
code, and will enable roaming in Spain for Gibraltar mobile phones.
— The pensions agreement provides
an equitable settlement for those Spanish citizens who lost their
livelihoods when the border closed in 1969. The British government,
which already pays the frozen pensions of this particular group
of pensioners, will uprate the pensions and offer a lump sum incentive
to the pensioners to leave the Gibraltar Social Insurance Fund.
This will then enable the Government of Gibraltar to regularise
their pension system.
The full implementation of the agreement will
be staged over the next two years or so, culminating in the completion
of a new air terminal.
I am sure you will agree that the agreement
we reached in Cordoba is a truly historic achievement. For the
first time the UK, Gibraltar and Spain have negotiated a three-way
agreement. This is ground breaking in itself. It demonstrates
that constructive dialogue and co-operation is possible despite
differences over sovereignty and can make a real difference to
the quality of the people the region.
Neither a date nor agenda has been set for the
next round of talks, although I expect officials will probably
meet again sometime in the autumn. As well as overseeing implementation
of the agreement we agreed in Cordoba that the forum would explore
new areas for cross-border co-operation. Several ideas are listed
in the communique. The Trilateral Forum of course has an open
agenda, which allows each party to raise issues of interest. To
date sovereignty matters have not been discussed, nor is there
any indication that they will be in the near future. However,
I would like to take this opportunity to restate the UK's position
on sovereignty, in that HMG will not enter into sovereignty negotiations
to which the people of Gibraltar are not content.
I attach a copy of the joint communique and
annexes that provide the full texts on the airport statement and
pensions statement for your information.[1]
I also will arrange for parliament to be informed of this agreement
through Written Ministerial Statement when it reconvenes in October.
When we also take into consideration the agreement
on the draft Constitution for Gibraltar, which we hope, will be
supported at a referendum later this year—it is clear that
2006 will be a hugely important year for Gibraltar.
I am copying this letter to Jack Straw, Lindsay
Hoyle—Leader of the All Party Group on Gibraltar, Michael
Ancram MP, William Hague MP, and Lord Howe of Aberavon.
Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP
Minister for Europe
19 September 2006
1 Not printed.
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