MEP spells out "ludicrous" situation at suspension of Rock from EU border Patrols

8.40.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 26th Sep 2007

"Gibraltar's position makes it very significant in the EU's response to illegal immigration", says Graham Watson MEP

Liberal MEP for the Rock, Graham Watson, will today use a keynote address in the European Parliament to raise the question of Gibraltar's suspension from Frontex - the EU's border patrol agency. Gibraltar is suspended from Frontex owing to the on-going dispute between the UK and Spain.

For Graham Watson EU action is required to make headway on this issue. Commenting from Strasbourg where he will today address Parliament, Graham said:

"It's ludicrous that the age-old dispute between the UK and Spain threatens to undermine the effectiveness of Frontex for the EU. Gibraltar's position makes it very significant in the EU's response to illegal immigration and central to this is the proper functioning of the Frontex border agency. I will use my speech on migration and immigration to call on the European Commission to act urgently to resolve this."

In July Graham Watson tabled a Parliamentary Question to the European Commission on this subject. A copy of the question and the answer he received can be accessed via: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2007-3425+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN .