Counting the cost of being forced out of Europe

Sir, - I am yet again forced to put pen to paper as regards my thoughts on my home country, Scotland, and what would have been the benefits of our EU continuing membership.

We are now in a position where Scotland (a committed and engaged member of the EU) is being dragged out of the EU.

The economic, cultural and social benefits of EU membership are now are now at risk.

The EU would have provided the destination for a majority of Scottish exported goods.

With the vote to come out of the EU, we are losing one of our main trading partners.

So what are the benefits of EU membership?

Or maybe I should state what we have lost.

So here we go: 336,000 jobs directly related to the EU are at risk given that we will soon no longer be an EU member state; the EU was the destination for 46% of Scotland’s international exports in 2013, worth £12.9 billion; in 2013 there were more than 2,100 foreignowned companies employing around 302,000 people in Scotland.

However, to return to Scotland’s exports to Europe, in 2015 they were as follows: France £1,680 million, Germany £1,845m, Ireland £1,125m, Spain £815m, Denmark £720m, Belgium £605m, Italy £565m and Sweden £405m.

Given these figures, it is beyond belief that Scotland should now have to renegotiate trade links with the EU.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Beverley J Burns. Beverley Hill, Petterden,

Picture: PA. Calculating the value of the EU to Scotland.