U-Turn On Referendum Welcomed By Lib Dems: 'Public Approval Is Vital'

11.07.52am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 19th Apr 2004

The U-turn by the Government to accept the case for a referendum on the EU constitutional treaty was welcomed today by Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne. He said that any other course of action would undermine the EU's popularity.

'The referendum will give those of us who want Britain to stay in the European Union a once-in-a-generation chance to make the case for institutions that are in Britain's national interests by delivering peace, prosperity and power over problems like the environment that nation states are no longer able to tackle' said Mr Huhne.

'At present, scare stories about a super-state - ridiculous when the EU Commission employs fewer people than Hampshire, Kent or Surrey county councils - are poisoning public opinion. In a referendum campaign, the British public will be able to decide on the arguments themselves following open debate, rather than being misled by nonsense in tabloid newspapers like the Sun and the Daily Mail' said Mr Huhne.

Mr Huhne pointed out that the final details of the constitutional treaty had still to be agreed, and the results should be carefully scrutinised in parliament to ensure that the full implications were understood before a referendum. 'A hasty decision before full parliamentary scrutiny would be a mistake' he said.

Mr Huhne said that a number of new features in the proposals for a constitutional treaty were long-standing British requests that should be welcomed as reinforcing the position of the member states and opening up the institutions to greater scrutiny and democracy.

He pointed to the ending of secret meetings by the Council of Ministers when they discuss EU laws, the ability of national parliaments to reject proposals as unnecessary at EU level, the end of the commitment to 'ever closer union', an extra check on activity by giving the European Parliament more powers to countermand the Commission and the Council, and the introduction of a formal 'exit clause' confirming that any country may leave the union if it wishes.

'Public approval for new arrangements by which the EU is run is vital on principle' said Mr Huhne. 'Without a referendum, the anti-europeans would argue that the EU could only function by ignoring its peoples and Britain would be on the slippery slope to getting out altogether. I welcome the opportunity to fight and win a referendum approving more open and democratic arrangements to make EU decisions'.

Ends