Hansard

I am pleased to take part in the debate. It is not that long since we had a debate on Europe, but this one takes place in very different circumstances. We now have a majority Conservative Government, and we will have an in/out EU referendum by the end of 2017. As we have this debate, the second reading of the European Union Referendum Bill is taking place in the UK Parliament. I accept that there is legislation to be passed and debate to be had on the terms of the referendum, but we have a majority Conservative Government in its early days, and it is in a position to decide those terms.

We support changing the franchise in the UK to provide votes for 16 and 17-year-olds. The school debates during the Scottish independence referendum campaign were among the most informed and well-conducted debates that I took part in. Young people showed real interest and knowledge, which endorsed the decision to extend the franchise. We support the franchise in the EU referendum reflecting the franchise for Scottish Parliament elections, which would include EU citizens who are resident in the UK. Labour’s amendment also raises concerns about the date of any EU referendum, which should take place in its own space.

However, we cannot allow the debate about the process to dominate the public debate. The outcome of the referendum in Scotland or anywhere else in the UK is not guaranteed. These are the early days of the debate, and those of us who support continued membership of the EU must win the argument convincingly. There are facts that we cannot ignore: first, there is a range of views in Scotland; secondly, a UK Independence Party MEP has been elected to represent Scotland; and, thirdly, many will come to the debate with a fairly open mind and will look to understand the arguments and be persuaded one way or the other. There is a long way to go with the electorate, and it would be naive to assume that we know the outcome in Scotland.

We also cannot ignore the fact that, although there are many positive reasons to remain in the EU, some of which were outlined by the cabinet secretary and by the First Minister when she was in Brussels last week—I will come on to talk a bit more about those advantages—there will be arguments across the political and social spectrum that the EU is not working for Scotland. There will be concerns around business regulations, around the campaign that opposes the transatlantic trade and investment partnership and around the EU’s political direction. Those concerns need to be addressed in the debate.

As well as being a social, economic, cultural and educational union, the EU is a political animal. All parties that support continued membership of the EU are also talking about reform. However, a country needs to remain a member to achieve that reform.

There are huge economic challenges across Europe. Young people are finding it difficult to find employment, and we can see the social divide widening. Many economies face levels of poverty that they have not experienced for generations. There are social problems, community tensions, pressures on public services and workers’ rights, and rising concerns over tax avoidance and the implications of future trade deals.

For too many people, Europe—the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers—does not look as if it is responding adequately. It is often bureaucratic, slow to respond, inflexible and driven from the centre. Therefore, greater effort must be made to reform the Commission and its bureaucracy, the Parliament and its accountability, and the economic model of the eurozone, which, for too many economies, is imbalanced. However, those challenges can be met only from within, not by threats to leave.

The economic benefits of EU membership are hugely important to the Scottish economy. Across the UK, 200,000 companies directly benefit from EU membership, and £200 billion of annual exports and £450 billion of inward investment are tied to trade with our partners. Some 336,000 jobs are dependent on those relationships.

In Scotland, we benefit from a single market of more than 500 million consumers. Scottish exports to the EU account for almost 50 per cent of total international exports. Our economy also benefits from freedom of movement and the people from EU member states who choose to come to live and work in Scotland. Migration brings huge benefits to our country. Migrants contribute more to the economy than they use, and many businesses that I speak to in the food, agriculture and textiles sectors as well as our health sector and services could not operate without employees from EU member states. That is a fact of our economy and of who we are.

The debate cannot be about only the economy, economics or politics; it also has to be about our role in the world. We are faced with a choice between working with other nations across Europe to tackle the big challenges of our age and cutting ourselves off from the world. It must be about hearts and minds. The union is a social, cultural and educational one, too. Many of our environmental targets—our biodiversity, air quality and water quality targets—come from the EU, and we must do more to meet them. It is right to make efforts at a strategic, EU level to make shared progress.

The freedom of movement in Europe, which is one of the drivers of Euroscepticism, works both ways: thousands of British citizens live and work freely across the EU; we travel with no barriers across the EU; we are part of a European family, and we are more interconnected than ever. The challenges of the modern world, such as human trafficking, internet fraud and copyright crime, do not recognise borders. A few weeks ago, we held a debate on the Mediterranean crisis, which presents a complex set of challenges that need EU and international action. That is not an isolated situation; rather, it is one that encapsulates the demands of our modern world. As part of the EU we can influence decision making and help to find solutions to those challenges. We need to be part of the debate on moving a far too inward-looking, self-obsessed Europe into an outward-looking, globally orientated Europe.

Much progressive social policy originated in the EU, driving common standards for workers across the EU. We must argue for social solidarity and put that at the heart of the EU again. The EU can be an effective vehicle in advancing social conditions at work. Following campaigns by trade unions across Europe and by MEPs, the EU brought in measures to give part-time and temporary workers the same rights as full-time workers as regards training, pensions and maternity and other leave. It introduced EU-wide working-time laws and required, for the first time, a guaranteed right to paid holidays. Those significant rights were introduced by the EU at a time when it was easier to demonstrate to people how the EU benefits them. We are living in more complex times and the EU must demonstrate that it can respond to the modern economy.

The result of the referendum is not predetermined in Scotland or anywhere else. The initial polling suggests a yes result, but there is a long way to go and we cannot be complacent about the result. It is important that we get a clear result with support from across the UK. Those of us who take a progressive approach towards the UK continuing its membership of the EU should be emphasising the positive way forward.

I am concerned that we will fall into the trap of focusing on process and talking up divisions, which polling suggests do not exist, running the risk of souring the debate and creating false division and grievance. Let us not give the Eurosceptics or UKIP any succour. We should be tackling the debate head on and building a consensus across the UK for a future in Europe. Instead of talking up the political consequences of a UK exit from the EU, those of us who support staying in the EU should concentrate all our efforts on making the case for that.

To be generous, I understand the anxiety around a Conservative Government taking the referendum forward. I thought that the cabinet secretary’s comments on the Conservative agenda in comparison to that of other supporters of the EU were fair. I have plenty of disagreement with the Conservatives on their politics, and on the EU they have disagreements within their own Government.