Regions miss out on EU concessions

Feb 10 2005
By Robert Merrick, Daily Post

SCOTLAND and Wales are outmuscling Merseyside to change Brussels policies in their favour because there is no devolution to the English regions, a study has found.

The Edinburgh Parliament and Welsh Assembly had successfully won concessions from the European Union, particularly in the areas of rural and farming policy, it concluded.

In contrast, regions such as the North West - where a planned referendum on setting up an elected assembly was scrapped last year - were missing out.

Its lobbying resources were much smaller than those of Scotland, Wales and, before the suspension of its assembly, Northern Ireland.

Martin Burch, professor of government at Manchester Univertity, said the researchers found "growing concern" at the imbalance within the English regions.

He added: "This is particularly true over EU structural funds, which support regional development, but it is also increasingly the case with rural and trade policies.

"Most English regions have far less impact in Brussels than the better resourced offices set up by the devolved administrations.

"And, at home, they find themselves having to lobby Whitehall to influence the UK's approach to EU issues, too."

The research is the first to examine the effects of devolution to Scotland and Wales since deputy prime minister John Prescott axed the North West referendum last July. Up to 25 of the region's Labour MPs warned Mr Prescott that humiliating defeat was inevitable and that the fallout would wound them in the coming General Election.

Officially, the poll was "postponed", but the overwhelming "No" vote in the North East referendum killed off the prospect of any further votes for many years.

Supporters of the assembly claimed it would give the North West extra muscle, but opponents insisted what was on offer was a pale imitation of the Scottish model in any case.

The study found that ministers and civil servants of Scotland and the other devolved administrations had been "substantially drawn in" to EU policy making.

In contrast, the English regional development agencies (RDAs) and unelected assemblies were not "part of the formal UK EU policy process" and were "treated as consultee rather than partner".

The only area in which they enjoyed formal responsibilities in negotiations within the European Union was on applications for regional aid, to attract investment.

The researchers said: "The result is that so far the impact of the English regions on UK EU policy handling, beyond structural funds, has been marginal.

"In essence, they have to use the lobbying tactics of the outsider in order to make their voices heard on European and other issues."