| How will Scotland get a better deal out of the EU with |
| Wednesday, 18 March 2009 14:39 |
| To get listened to in Europe, you have to be a member state. To be a member state you have to be independent. Under devolution, Europe regards Scotland only as a region of the UK. ScottishParliament ministers attend meetings of the EU Council of Ministers only by the invitation of Westminster ministers, and have to agree their policy position with London before they can say anything. They are not able to speak up for the Scottish interest. With Independence, Scottish Ministers will be free to represent Scotland's needs and priorities in Europe by right. On the basis of the Nice Treaty provisions, if these are implemented, an independent Scotland would have seven votes in the Council ofMinisters. At present Scotland has none. An independent Scotland would have thirteen MEPs, instead of our present six. Scotland, for the first time, would be able to nominate a European Commissioner and take her turn at the six-month presidency of the EU. Thousands of jobs in Scotland depend on exports to the European Union. In defending Scotland’s interests, an independent government will be able to give priority to areas which are currently neglected by British representatives in the EU, not least the Scottish Fishing industry. Thirteen countries previous applied and joined the EU, including Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Latvia and Slovenia. These six countries are all smaller than Scotland, yet all of them will, in time, have a seat at Europe’s top table. It’s time Scotland did too. |
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