Feb 28 Gibraltar up to date in EU directives transposition
The Government is pleased to announce that for the first time ever Gibraltar is completely up to date in the transposition of EU directives.
This achievement reflects the priority that the Government has given to this matter since being elected into office on 9 December 2011. There were 43 directives pending implementation at that time which were passed due the date allowed for transposition, including 8 which were already subject to an infraction procedure. Moreover, throughout the fourteen months since then, a further 19 directives were transposed, so that a total of 62 directives have been transposed during this period.
In order to achieve this historic milestone for Gibraltar, the Government has recruited and increased compliment of the number of legal drafters in the European Union and International Department (EUID) and restructured that Department.
The lawyers and staff of this Department, under Chief Legal Advisor Michael Llamas QC, have worked extremely hard in order to ensure that the policy objective of the Government of full transposition of every outstanding directive on the relevant EU list has now been met.
It will be recalled that in the past there have been a number of infraction proceedings against the United Kingdom for the non-transposition of EU directives in Gibraltar. This process has sometimes led to cases being referred to the European Court of Justice. Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, such findings of non-compliance carry the risk of hefty fines.
The Government has demonstrated that it takes its EU obligations very seriously and has shown through this action that it now has a transposition record which will be the envy of many EU Member States with much bigger resources and of which Gibraltar as a whole can be truly proud.
The Minister for Europe, Rt Hon David Lidington MP said:
"I welcome the significant progress made by Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar over the past year in transposing EU directives into Gibraltar law. It is important that the UK and Gibraltar have a strong reputation for the implementation of EU law."
The Chief Minster, Hon Fabian Picardo MP said:
"This is a massive achievement for Gibraltar that cannot be underestimated. Although many may sometimes feel disappointed by the EU, it represents both huge advantages and challenges for Gibraltar. In the context of our relationships with the EU and the UK, it is therefore very important for Gibraltar reputationally that we should have complied with our obligations in a timely manner so that we can demonstrate that what our political opponents say about our jurisdiction is simply untrue. The Government has made a huge investment to achieve this landmark. We must now maintain our level of compliance on transpositions. We must also recognise the great work done by those who work with Michael Llamas QC on a daily basis to deliver on this project, both inside and outside Government."
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