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46905
registered interest false more like this
date less than 2014-04-03more like thismore than 2014-04-03
answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office more like this
answering dept id 16 more like this
answering dept short name Foreign and Commonwealth Office more like this
answering dept sort name Foreign and Commonwealth Office more like this
house id 1 more like this
legislature
25259
pref label House of Commons more like this
question text To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the Minister for Europe has held with the European Commission to discuss incursions by Spanish government vessels into British-Gibraltar territorial waters in the last two years. more like this
tabling member constituency Paisley and Renfrewshire South more like this
tabling member printed
Mr Douglas Alexander more like this
uin 195140 more like this
answer
answer
is ministerial correction false more like this
date of answer less than 2014-04-10more like thismore than 2014-04-10
answer text <p>We are confident of UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) under international law, a matter over which the European Commission has no locus to intervene. As a result the the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), the Minister responsible for Europe, has not had any meetings with them in the last two years where the sole purpose was discussing Spanish incursions into BGTW.</p><p>However, my right hon. Friend has raised on a number of occasions, at a senior level in the European Commission, the adoption by the European Commission of a proposal from the Spanish government to designate a site of community importance (SCI) under the EU habitats directive (92/43/EEC). The SCI in question overlaps virtually the whole BGTW area. Spain has used this fact to justify certain incursions on the grounds that they are enacting obligations in relation to EU environmental legislation.</p><p>The British Government maintains that the purported site known as the Estrecho Oriental was unlawfully designated and, in any event, cannot have any legal effect in BGTW due to UK sovereignty over this territory. We have made our position on this clear to the European Commission and the Spanish government.</p>
answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) more like this
answering member printed Mr William Hague more like this
question first answered
less than 2014-04-10T12:00:00.00Zmore like thismore than 2014-04-10T12:00:00.00Z
answering member
379
label Biography information for Lord Hague of Richmond more like this
tabling member
632
label Biography information for Mr Douglas Alexander more like this