IF you have a locking mechanism, (I thought European cars did not have them) then it has jammed or broken in the locked position.
Mine as done the same thing. Took me 30 secs to figure it out how to bypass until I get time to troubleshoot it.
No. 10 on the drawing:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BT33&mospid=47798&btnr=51_4939&hg=51&fg=35
No. 18 is the electrical solenoid that actually positions the locking mechanism. This could be bad also.
To bypass the locking mechanism so it does not lock, you must first remove the upper console cover. No. 14.
To do this, remove the two plastic screws on the bottom of the cover and it just unclips (be careful) from the body.
After that is done, look at the latch: No. 10
To disable the lock, there is a slide assembly on the lock. just slide it up and it will not let the lock really lock. It will now just be a latch...