MEP calls for well-grounded regional policy (North Tayside Liberal Democrats)

North Tayside Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

MEP calls for well-grounded regional policy

March 24, 2009 12:00 AM

Speaking in a debate on territorial cohesion, Elspeth Attwooll, Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland has emphasised the need to eliminate disparities within, as well as between, EU regions.

And in welcoming the van Nistelrooij Report on territorial cohesion, the MEP for Scotland also called for better advance assessment of the impact that European policies will have on EU regions.

Commenting after the debate she said:

"This means working from more localised information and measuring in advance the effect that policies would have on different parts of the EU.

Proper impact assessments would pre-empt various problems, such as those posed by the electronic identification of sheep in Scotland.

I can think of many more examples besides, including - again for the farming industry - the recent legislation on pesticides and the forthcoming revision of the rules on animal transport."

Notes to Editor

1. The van Nistelrooij Report on territorial cohesion is available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A6-2009-0083&language=EN

2. An example of disparities within regions is the situation of fisheries dependent communities located in what are otherwise relatively prosperous parts of Scotland.