A new paper which highlights the cost of Brexit to Scotland shows that cooperation is needed, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations argues
Moves must be made to protect the third sector in Scotland after the cost of Brexit to the country was revealed.
New analysis by the Scottish Government has revealed that Scotland’s GDP would be around £12.7 billion lower than under continued EU membership by 2030 if no free trade agreement is secured with the European Union.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has said that the publication of Scotland’s Place in Europe highlights the need for the UK to remain within the single market and customs union.
“Evidently, Brexit continues to cause real uncertainty across our society, and SCVO has made clear from the outset that we think leaving the EU will be bad for Scotland and Scotland’s charity sector – exacerbating already difficult circumstances for charity organisations and the individuals and communities they seek to empower,” said acting chief executive Lucy McTernan.
“We maintain our opposition to EU withdrawal. However, with Article 50 now triggered, we believe that action must be taken to remove some of the sharp edges from Brexit, and this can best be achieved by the UK staying in both the single market and customers union.”
Following the publication of Scotland's Place in Europe, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that she would continue to fight to protect the country’s interests.
She said: “By insisting on hard-line pre-conditions the UK government is itself closing the doors on what can be achieved in talks with the EU on the future relationship.
“The aim of the Scottish Government, and the evidence presented in this paper, is to start opening those doors again.
“For the sake of jobs, the economy and the next generation, today we are calling on the UK Government to drop its hard Brexit red-lines so that Scotland and the UK can stay inside the Single Market and Customs Union.”
Alex Orr, policy adviser for the European Movement in Scotland, said the report made disturbing reading for the third sector.
“Such impacts should however come as no surprise, as we will be leaving the largest single market in the world of over half a billion people," he said. "By far the best option for the Scottish economy is to stay in the EU. This brings not only considerable economic advantages, but also immense social, environmental and consumer protections.
“As the costs of Brexit become clearer and the public mood begins to shift, it is clear that Brexit is seeing us sleepwalk to economic suicide and must be stopped, both for this and future generations.”
