Letter: The disenfranchised citizens of Europe

Sir: Further to Sarah Lambert's article encouraging people to vote in the coming Euro elections (23 May), I would ask your readers to spare a thought for those people who cannot vote at all.

All European Union nationals who live in Gibraltar will not be able to vote in Gibraltar, even though the Rock has been Community territory since 1 January 1973. This means that, apart from Frenchmen, Germans and Italians who live in Gibraltar, the 25,000 Gibraltarians will not be able to exercise their right to vote under the Maastricht Treaty.

Article 137 of the Treaty on European Union makes it clear that the European Parliament must be universally elected by all European citizens. This will not happen this June, because the British government has not put the necessary administrative arrangements in place to allow EU nationals residing in Gibraltar to vote in their place of residence.

Yours faithfully,

JOSEPH GARCIA

Leader

Gibraltar National Party

Gibraltar

24 May