§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items will be on the agenda for his next meeting with the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs under the provisions of the Brussels Agreement on Gibraltar. [58817]
§ Ms QuinWe have not yet settled with the Spanish authorities the details of the next Brussels Process meeting.
§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has evaluated for the future sovereignty of Gibraltar. [58815]
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§ Ms QuinWe have said we are studying the proposals Spain made at the Brussels Process meeting last December concerning the future status of Gibraltar and that we will reply in due course. We have also reaffirmed that we stand firmly by the commitment in the 1969 Constitution that there can be no change in sovereignty over Gibraltar without the consent of the people of Gibraltar.
§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has for improving the status of Gibraltar within the European Union. [58816]
§ Ms QuinGibraltar's status within the European Union is based on Article 227(4) of the Treaty of Rome which provides for the application of that treaty to
the European territories for whose external relations a Member State is responsible".However, in view of Gibraltar's particular geographical and economic circumstances, it was agreed at the time of the UK's accession in 1973 that Gibraltar would be excluded from three areas of Community policy. These are the Community Customs Territory, which takes Gibraltar out of the Common Commercial Policy as far as trade in goods is concerned, the obligation to impose a Value Added Tax, and the Common Agricultural and Fisheries policies. There are no plans to change this status.