WRITTEN QUESTION E-3015/00 by Lord Bethell (PPE-DE), Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) and Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Gibraltar's access to telephone networks in Spain.
Date: 2000-09-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Gibraltar, Spain, United Kingdom, application of EU law, mobile phone, restriction on competition, telecommunications industry, transmission network

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/159

(2001/C 136 E/185)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3015/00

by Lord Bethell (PPE-DE), Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE)
and Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Subject: Gibraltar(cid:146)s access to telephone networks in Spain

Prior to December 1995 the Spanish telephone operator Telefonica (at that time the only GSM operator
offering a service in Spain) refused to conclude a roaming agreement with GIBTEL, in apparent violation of
competition and single market rules. As a consequence once GIBTEL GSM customers cross into Spain and
move outside the area of coverage of their own base stations, they are not able to use their GIBTEL mobile
phones until they cross into Andorra, France or Portugal, despite the fact that GIBTEL has concluded
roaming agreements with GSM operators in every other EU Member State.

In June of this year it is our understanding that a letter signed by Commissioners Bolkestein, Liikanen and
Monti was sent to the governments of Spain and the United Kingdom instructing them to arrive at a
solution to both the numbering and the roaming complaints by the end of July 2000, the deadline later
being extended to the end of August 2000. This second deadline has now expired with the problem
unresolved.

Spanish territorial claims to Gibraltar notwithstanding, could the Commission indicate whether it believes
that the citizens of Gibraltar are entitled to equal protection under the European treaties as every other
citizen of the European Union, and whether the discriminatory treatment of GIBTEL by Telefonica is legal,
and, if so, what measures the Commission proposes in order to uphold the treaties?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 2000)

The question raised by the Honourable Members concerns the inability of Gibtel, the mobile telephone
operator in Gibraltar, to sign a roaming agreement with a telecommunications operator in Spain,
in
particular Telef(cid:243)nica.

The Commission is looking at this question in the broader context of Spain(cid:146)s refusal to recognise
Gibraltar(cid:146)s international prefix, (cid:145)350(cid:146). As the Honourable Members point out, one of the consequences of
this refusal is that Gibtel is unable to sign a roaming agreement with a Spanish operator.

The Commission confirms that letters were sent to the Spanish and United Kingdom authorities in June,
urging them to seek an amicable solution to this dispute as quickly as possible. As the Honourable
Members are aware, Article 299(4) (former Article 227) of the EC Treaty stipulates that the provisions of
the Treaty apply to the European territories for whose external relations a Member State is responsible, and
hence to Gibraltar. Other pieces of primary and secondary legislation have defined the extent to which
Community law applies to Gibraltar.

At this stage the Commission must maintain a reservation pending its examination of the matter. It will
make its conclusions public as soon as possible.

(2001/C 136 E/186)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3019/00

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Subject: Corus steel plants

Can the Commission confirm that none of the Corus steel plants are in receipt of unfair Member State
support?