Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been in complying with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the franchise for Gibraltarians for elections to the European Parliament; when the Court decision was made; and if he will make a statement. [160146]
§ Mr. VazThe Matthews judgment, given on 18 February 1999. requires the UK to extend the European Parliamentary franchise to Gibraltar. The UK unequivocally accepts this obligation.
The UK has proposed an amendment to the 1976 EC Act on Direct Elections to extend the franchise to Gibraltar. This amendment remains on the agenda of the relevant Council working group. But HMG are considering other options in order to extend the franchise before the 2004 European Parliament elections.