European Liberals and Democrats push for landmark transport decision on Gibraltar

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 14th Jun 2006

Tomorrow the European Parliament will vote on a report by Paolo Costa, ALDE MEP and Chairman of the EP Transport and Tourism Committee on an EU regulation setting common rules on civil aviation security. The report argues for "one-stop security" for all flights within the EU. In practice that means that security controls in one member state will be valid for all and planes arriving from third countries will only undergo security control at their first EU stop.

"I believe that the regulation should apply to Gibraltar's airport despite the legal stand off between the UK and Spain. This would be the first EU transport rule from which Gibraltar will not be excluded and is the first step towards ending Gibraltar's legislative isolation" said the European Liberal Democrat Leader and Gibraltar MEP Graham Watson.

"I hope that our proposal will be backed by a Parliamentary majority. Gibraltar deserves equal treatment to the rest of the EU and tomorrow our efforts to secure it will finally take off".