11 May 2007
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Repeal the 1972 European Communities ACT and withdraw the UK from the EU."
Details of petition:
"I propose that the 1972 European Communities Act should be repealed on the basis that Britain is a net financial contributer to the European Union to the tune of many £billions each year to no advantage to the British people. This is money which would be far better spent for the benefit of British citizens. Over 70%% of our laws are now made in the EU by people the UK electorate have little or no control over. Our imigration policy is being increasingly decided by the EU and due to the EU’s ‘open borders’ we cannot decide for ourselves who lives or works in the UK. This is additional to the masses of red tape, rules, directives and regulations being imposed upon us by the EU which is doing our UK businesses much harm. We believe Britain would be much better off out of the EU.
Read the Government’s response
European laws do not lack democratic legitimacy. When laws are made at a European level, the United Kingdom is fully involved in the decision-making process. The UK is represented by a British Government Minister in the Council of Ministers (the most important decision-making body in the EU) and there is also British representation in the European Parliament, where 78 Members are chosen by the British electorate. There is also oversight of the law-making process by the British Parliament. All EU documents are submitted to Parliament.
Parliamentarians decide as to the importance of the document and the attention that should be given to it. Depending on their decision, documents can be debated by the cross-party Scrutiny committees or submitted for debate on the floor of the House of Commons or House of Lords where all members can participate.
On immigration, the UK maintains control over its own borders and immigration from non-EU states. The UK has always recognised the benefits of legal migration. Over 90 million people visit the UK each year and this openness ensures the UK has a vibrant society and a strong economy. Under EU rules, just as British people have the right to live and work elsewhere in the EU, other EU nationals can live and work in Britain.
The evidence from the 2004 enlargement when 10 new Member States joined the EU, shows that the UK’s policy of managed migration is right. Studies have shown that workers from the new Member States have filled skills gaps, including in key public services such as the NHS and social care, and have contributed to UK growth and prosperity. There is no evidence that they have taken jobs away from British workers or undercut wages. Despite this, local authorities’ concerns about localised pressures as a result of EU migration are being monitored carefully.
As the Prime Minister made clear in a recent statement to Parliament, one of the key achievements of the Spring European Council was to advance the cause of regulatory reform in Europe. The decision to set a target for reducing administrative burdens by 25% makes, as the Prime Minister said ‘ another clear break with traditional European policy on regulation. It is to be hugely welcomed’. The Commission continues to make progress with their ambitious programme to simplify and reduce existing EU laws. In November it announced a further 43 simplification proposals and identified ten pending proposals to be withdrawn.
As with most organisations the EU is not perfect and EU decision-making process is not always transparent enough. A 2006 Eurobarometer opinion poll in the UK, showed however that on many of the issues that matter to everyday life, people want more decision-making at the EU level, for example on energy security and tackling climate change. And these are precisely the sorts of issues that the UK set out at the European Council at Hampton Court during the UK Presidency in 2005, which emphasised the need for action on economic reform, tackling the challenges of globalisation, energy, security, counter terrorism and organised crime.
Membership of the European Union is important to the United Kingdom, in terms of wealth, jobs, peace and security. Around three million British jobs are linked, directly and indirectly, to export of goods and services to the EU. It is estimated that the Single Market boosted EU GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2.2% or €225 billion in 2006, and over half of British trade is with other EU Member States. Leaving the world’s largest Single Market - almost 500 million people - would be a hugely retrograde step, for business, consumers, and employees. As part of the EU, the UK is better able to deal with global issues like climate and energy security, as demonstrated by a recent agreement to tackle climate change at an EU level, as well as cross-border problems like crime, illegal immigration and terrorism.
delicious
digg
facebook
