Letter to the Evening Post - European Referendum

Dear Editor,
 
As your Welsh Labour representatives in Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales, we are united in the belief that our country and our communities are better off in the European Union.
 
EU countries buy 41% of Wales' exports, worth £5 billion a year to us. Companies invest here precisely because we are in the EU, giving them direct access to the largest single market in the world. But if we leave, we would soon see our big firms switching their investment to continental Europe with the loss of thousands of jobs here.
 
The funds we receive through the EU makes a real difference in our local areas, funding skills training and apprenticeships, helping regenerate our town centres, supporting our universities and improving the environment. Wales receives from the EU much more than we pay in – we are better off to the tune of £838m a year. The average family saves around £450 a year due to lower prices – from mobile phone charges to travel costs.
 
Membership of the EU has also brought us rights at work – equal pay, paid holiday leave, paid maternity and paternity leave and anti-discrimination laws. It helps us tackle the big challenges we face today –cross border crime, protecting the environment and supporting biodiversity - challenges which we can’t tackle effectively alone.
 
On June 23rd, we believe that the best future for our constituents, our communities and for the United Kingdom is as a full member of the European Union and we are asking our constituents to vote to Remain.

Rebecca Evans AM, Geraint Davies MP, Nia Griffith MP, Carolyn Harris MP, Mike Hedges AM, Julie James AM, Stephen Kinnock MP, Jeremy Miles AM, Christina Rees MP, David Rees AM, Lee Waters AM.