Local MP Dan Byles Criticises EU Regional Funding System
Dan Byles, MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, highlights high cost to West Midlands of EU Regional Funds
The Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, ex-soldier Dan Byles, has highlighted the high cost of the European Union regional funding structure to the West Midlands. EU 'structural and cohesion funds' are the second largest item in the EU budget after the Common Agricultural Policy. Between 2007 and 2013, a total of €348.4 billion will be spent in this way. Dan Byles, who dramatically defied a three line whip last October to vote in favour of holding a referendum on UK membership of the EU, is a founding member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for European Reform. The cross Party group aims to identify powers that can and should be returned to Britain from the EU and to campaign for that to happen. Research by the All Party Group has uncovered the huge extent to which Britain loses out from the current way that EU regional funding is organised. Over the current budget Britain will contribute £29.5 billion to these funds, but will receive just £8.7 billion back. Discussing the figures, Dan said: "Pro-EU politicians often like to point to a project paid for by regional funding from the EU, and suggest that we should be grateful and this is an argument for the benefits of membership. But these figures show that to be a nonsense. "It is clear that Britain pays far more into the EU regional budget than we get out. In fact, out of 37 British regions in the EU's classification system just two are net beneficiaries of EU regional funding. All the rest pay more in than they get out - including the West Midlands. "Here in the West Midlands, we pay an average of £3.55 into the scheme for every £1 we receive in grants. That is a huge drain on the region, and one that I would like to see reformed. "I am not yet convinced that Britain should pull out of the EU entirely. We are an international trading nation, and thousands of local companies benefit from our membership of the Single Market. But I firmly believe we need to fundamentally reform it. The euro crisis currently wracking the continent should be a wake up call for European politicians who have lived in a euro la-la land and ignored economic reality for too long. "Having said that, the longer I have been an Member of Parliament, the more eurosceptic I am becoming!"
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Thank you for visiting! Here you can find out about the work I'm doing in the communities in North Warwickshire and Bedworth. What matters to you, matters to me, so read what I've be up to and find out how you can help. Email me at mail@danielbyles.com or call me on 020 7219 7179.Dan Byles MP
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