How much of Scotland's trade is with the EU?
Just under one half of all trade (43%) from Scotland was with other EU member states in 2015, with a total value of £12.3 billion. [1]
Doesn't red tape from the EU damage Scottish businesses?
No.
EU regulations actually make life easier. Regulation is essential for a market to function and many of the laws agreed across the EU would have to be passed nationally if they weren’t dealt with in Brussels. Obviously, there are things we could reform, but for some people to say that the EU creates laws that otherwise would not be there is entirely wrong.
Many of those who attack "red tape" are actually attacking rules that protect workers, the environment or consumers. At their most basic, EU rules make goods and services safe; something we in Scotland would want to do anyway. By making such decisions at an EU level, companies only need to look at one rule book, not 28 different ones.
The UK has the second least regulated product market in the developed world. The lowest is the Netherlands.[1] Since both are EU members, it is worth re-emphasising that it clearly isn’t the EU that is the cause of excessive regulation in Scotland, the UK or, indeed, other European countries.
What employment rights has the EU given me?
If you want want to know about other benefits of EU membership the click here.
[1] The Working Time Directive guarantees a minimum of 4 weeks per year of paid annual leave. 'Working Time Directive', EU Commission.
[2] The EU sets a framework to ensure employers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their workers, and prevent occupational accidents. Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.
[3] The EU guarantees a minimum level of effective protection to temporary workers, ensuring that flexible working arrangements are not used to deny basic rights to temporary workers or to undercut permanent employees. 'Temporary Agency Workers', EU Commission.
[4] Council Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding; Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised Framework Agreement on parental leave.
Why should I pay to support the gravy train lifestyle of EU officials?
The costs of running the EU are actually remarkably low, despite the often repeated rhetoric. The European Parliament costs each European citizen €3.10 per year which contrasts sharply with the UK Parliament which costs over twice as much at €7.30 per person per year.[1]
Furthermore, the Brussels bureaucracy, when assessed by the European Court of Auditors, was shown to have a less than 1% error in its budget and the financial control systems in place were described as effective.[2]
[1] ‘European Parliament: Facts and Figures ’, European Parliament Research Service, November 2014.
[2] Administration error in 2013 was 1% and in 2014 0.5%. ‘ECA Annual Report on the Implementation of the Budget 2013’ European Court of Auditors, 2013; ‘ECA EU Audit in Brief ’, European Court of Auditors, 2014.