United Kingdom/Spain agreement on Gibraltar's administrative structure opens way to several Community decisions in field of Justice and Home Affairs

Brussels, 19/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The signing of the agreement between the United Kingdom and Spain on the administrative status of Gibraltar will have swift positive effects at Community level, allowing a certain number of texts to be brought out of deadlock, on which an agreement had already been found within the EU Council but which were blocked by cross British and Spanish reservation over Gibraltar's status. These texts essentially concern the following sectors:

• Internal market sector and mainly corporate law. The directive on public offerings should be adopted without debate, during a forthcoming Council session (perhaps the Internal Market session on 25 May), since a political agreement has already been reached on this text. On other matters, discussions within the Council were less advanced but will be facilitated as a result. This is above all the case of directives on the liquidation of insurance companies and banks and the more problematic regulation on the statute of European Company, for now in abeyance.
• Justice and Home Affairs sector. Five texts could soon be brought out of deadlock: . a) Convention on legal assistance in criminal matters; b) regulation on the notification and transmission of judicial and extra-judicial acts; c) the Eurodac regulation (on fingerprinting of asylum seekers); d) regulation on the improvement and liquidation of credit establishments; e) a negotiating brief with Norway and Iceland on a Convention (in parallel to the Dublin Convention) on determining the State responsible for negotiating asylum requests.

The negotiation of other texts should progress more rapidly and in a better atmosphere, now that the Gibraltar obstacle has been lifted, mainly in the prospect of partial participation of the United Kingdom to the Schengen Agreement, concerning above all police and judicial cooperation.

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and Spain welcomed the arrangement reached. Robin Cook also stressed the practical effect as well as the political and psychological effect, as they improve the climate of dialogue and spirit of cooperation between the United Kingdom, Spain and Gibraltar, he said. Abel Matutes insisted on the fact that the agreement does not concern any of the aspects relating to sovereignty over Gibraltar, but settles technical mattes and clarifies the application of European legislation in Gibraltar, with "innovative solutions". Bilateral security and police cooperation will be set in place in the zone, in compliance with the provisions of the Schengen Agreement. Border controls between Gibraltar and Spain will not necessarily be abolished, but crossing the border will be easier, as Spain will not only recognise British passports but also identity cards issued in Gibraltar.

The agreement was signed by the Permanent Representatives of the two countries with the EU: ambassador Javier Elroza and Sir Stephen Wall.