Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 14:31:38 +0100 From: Mark Watson Subject: Euro seminar Stonewall Press Release Monday 8 July 1996 Same-sex Euro Seminar success - new group formed The UK's two top immigration QC's speak at the first ever European seminar exploring the issue of immigration rights for same-sex couples within the European Union The Stonewall Immigration Group hosted the first ever seminar covering same-sex immigration rights throughout Europe on Friday 5 July at Chatham House in St. James Square. The seminar took the form of three presentations, the first chaired by Angela Mason and included speakers Nicholas Blake QC, Elspeth Guild and Dr Kees Waaldijk and concentrated on Free movement within the European Union i.e. When the UK refuses to allow a Dutch national's foreign same-sex partner residency, is this an obstacle to their free movement? The second seesion, chaired by Matthew Davies included speakers Ian Macdonald QC, Dr Robert Wintemute, Peter Duffy and Jonathan Cooper and looked at lesbian and gay rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. The third presentation was chaired by Mark Watson and included speakers Martin Bowley QC, Andy Quan, Hein Verkerk and Christophe Hannequin and concentrated on how we might campaign in the future to ensure that lesbian and gay rights are not forgotten as Europe becomes more integrated. A new European immigration group will now be formed coordinated by the Stonewall Immigration Group and will next meet in Madrid in December at the ILGA conference. Over 70 people attended, most from throughout the UK but also from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and included immigration solicitors from around the UK as well as a number of interested individuals. The Guest speakers include the top UK barristers, leading academics and campaigners from around Europe and included: Ian Macdonald QC (President of the UK Immigration Lawyers Practitioners Association and the best immigration Barrister in the UK) Nicholas Blake QC - (After Ian Macdonald considered the best immigration barrister in the UK) Elspeth Guild (ILPA European sub committee) Jonathan Cooper (Legal Director, Liberty and formally with the AIRE centre) Christophe Hannequin - France (French Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group) Hein Verkerk - Netherlands (ILGA European Secretariat) Dr Kees Waaldijk - Netherlands (Netherlands institute of Human Rights - also just been appointed by the Dutch government to the experts commission on the opening up of marriage to same-sex couples) Peter Duffy - UK (One of the UKs leading European Barristers) Martin Bowley QC - UK (Barrister interested in lesbian and gay partnership rights) Dr Robert Wintemute - UK (Faculty of Law - Kings College, London and author of Sexual Orientation and Human Rights) Andy Quan - (Coordinator of the International Lesbian and Gay Association based in Brussels) Angela Mason - UK (Executive Director, Stonewall) Mark Watson - UK (Chair, Stonewall Immigration Group) Matthew Davies - UK (Solicitor and legal advisor to the Stonewall Immigration Group) For more information please call Mark Watson on 0171 336 8860 Mark Watson Stonewall 16 Clerkenwell Close London EC1R 0AA Tel. 0171 336 8860 Fax. 0171 336 8864 mark@stonewall.org.uk http://www.tyger.co.uk/sig/