The Campaign for an Independent Britain is in favour of free trade and co-operation between the nations of Europe but is opposed to the creation of a federal or unitary European state which we believe to be unnecessary and which will prove counter - productive.

The British people voted in 1975 to remain in the Common Market but did so in the belief that they were simply deciding to stay in a free trade area. They now know differently and realise that large swathes of policy decision making have been relinquished by the British Government and Parliament and handed over to the institutions of the EU with the consequence that large numbers of directives and regulations are imposed rather than democratically agreed through Britain's long established procedures.

The present Convention was established, ostensibly, to consider reforms thought necessary to deal with the pending enlargement and to democratise the EU. However, previous enlargements have resulted in more power moving from the Member States to the Centre and there is every reason to believe that the same trend will continue if enlargement goes ahead.

It is quite clear that the "reforms" envisaged by the Commission, the Parliament and individual governments would lead to the transfer of additional significant powers from the Member States to the EU institutions resulting in even less democracy and the inevitable establishment of a single European state - a United States of Europe.

We believe that this is the wrong route to building a Europe unified in peace, friendship and co-operation. The imposition of an artificial federation on a diverse set of nations will not work, any more than it did in the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia.

The model which we would recommend is one based on the willing co-operation of each nation and its people in areas of policy where co-operation will be fruitful but not where it would be inimical to their interests and development. This model depends on a complete re-examination of the powers of the EU contained in the Treaties and the repeal and abandonment of the acquis communautaire. Those powers not necessary for free trade between the nations must be relinquished and returned to the Member States who would then become responsible for making bi-lateral or collective agreements with other states in areas of policy where they think fit.

Such a policy would mean the abandonment of common policies such as those relating to Agriculture and Fishing and the return to the nation states of the power to make their own trading arrangements with other world countries. It follows that ambitions to create a European army, a single foreign policy, a single legal, justice and police system and a single economic policy must be resisted at all costs

Finally, we believe that lasting unity can only be achieved by the people of Europe and not their elites and a failure by those elites to understand this can only lead to disaster.