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Hudghton (Verts/ALE). – Mr President,
yesterday an opinion poll was published in Scotland that included a
question about the draft EU Constitution. Scots in favour of signing up to
the Constitution: 35%; those against signing up to the EU Constitution:
49%.
Five
years ago, a much more positive response would have been delivered from
Scotland. Indeed, historically, Scotland has been much more positive about
engagement with our European partners than certain other parts of the UK.
But, in spite of all the talk since the fall of the Santer Commission
about reconnecting with citizens, many of our policies and directives are
still seen as insensitive and inappropriate to real life in our
communities, not least in Scotland with the disastrous failure of the
common fisheries policy. But I think the services directive has the
potential to further undermine public confidence and I do not think it has
been sensitively handled so far by the Council or the Commission.
It is
widely seen as a further attack on essential public services. Much has
been said about the potential effects of the country of origin principle,
but, if we are to be sensitive to the reality, there is much more to it
than that. For example, in the UK, Scotland’s legal and regulatory system
is entirely separate from that of England and Wales, and so on. I would
like to see more recognition than we have to date not only of
sensitivities at Member State level, but of differences within Member
States as well. |
