The European Movement in Scotland has been busy in this most difficult of years campaigning against the impact of Brexit and spelling out why Scotland needs an EU future.
We’ve also taken a hard look at ourselves with pre-lockdown activist events and a broad survey of supporters to find out what our priorities should be now that we are definitively leaving the EU, its customs union and single market, on January 1. In future posts we’ll tell you more about all our priorities for action and how we – as Scotland’s foremost pro-EU, and wholly volunteer, organisation – are advancing them.
But for now, and first and foremost, we need to say what EMiS stands for post-Brexit. We have considered feedback from wide discussions and, guided by that, we have re-written our Constitution to set out our goals from here on:
- Relationship To ensure that Scotland and the United Kingdom (UK) retain and develop the closest possible relationship with Europe and the European Union (EU), with a goal of full membership of the European Union;
- Values To advance EU values, including peace, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, equality, sustainability and solidarity;
- Campaign To foster support for the EU within the public, civil society and business in Scotland, working with citizens and organisations from across all political parties and none;
- Focus To keep Scotland present in EU thinking;
- Readiness To promote preparedness for full membership of the EU;
- Cooperation To advance the cause of greater understanding and co-operation among all European countries and between them and the rest of the world.
We believe that these aims are essential to underpin the work of finding our way back to our European home.
We remain resolutely in favour of full EU membership. We take no position on Scottish independence; that is a matter for the voters of Scotland. We do provide a forum where people of all parties and none can be informed and can debate the European dimension of that question.
We reassert our commitment to EU values, needed more now than ever in a world facing populism, assaults on democracy, the rule of law and basic humanity.
We will redouble our efforts to build Scotland’s attachment to an EU future and readiness to be a full member again. We will campaign to stay close to Europe in regulatory terms, through cultural and political networks and, of course, human contact.
This is just part of our modernised Constitution. We’ll share more with you ahead of our on-line AGM on 18 November when EMiS members can vote on our proposals. If you’re not already a member go to our Join Us page to sign up. You’ll be making a difference by helping to make our EU future happen.
And read more analysis of what Brexit means via the Centre on Constitutional Change
The European Movement in Scotland is committed to promoting the essential European value of free speech. Consequently, we regularly publish articles by leading academics, journalists and others discussing issues germane to Scotland’s place in Europe. Such articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Movement in Scotland.
