Julie Girling MEP, who represents South West England and Gibraltar, has called on MEPs to reverse any move which seeks to exclude Gibraltar from European aviation measures.

She said:

"European air space is some of the busiest in the world, the Single Sky Initiative is an example of a good thing to come out of Europe. How can we possible disadvantage Gibraltarian citizens by excluding them from this initiative? Imagine the outcry if we had excluded EU citizens based on gender or ethnicity, yet in previous votes the Parliament has done exactly that using nationality.

“I call on fellow MEPs from across Europe to ensure the Parliament reverses its discriminatory decision. Gibraltar is part of the EU and this discrimination, led by Spain, has to stop. I am committed to ensuring my constituents in Gibraltar are not penalised by the discriminatory actions of the Parliament. The whole process for improving air traffic control across the EU will be held up until this matter can be resolved."

A short clip of Mrs Girling speaking at the European Parliament can be seen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ko65OVT6VE&feature=youtu.be