My hon. Friend is right. There are many policies can can and will be implemented by a Labour Government in Britain without waiting for cross-European action, and the sooner the better. However, although action on environmental rights would be useful if carried out in Britain on its own, it would be even more useful if we could achieve a cross-European approach on these matters, because environmental pollution knows no national boundaries. Action against environmental pollution and the protection of citizens from it should cross national frontiers.

The debate also raises a number of fundamental issues about the way in which the European Community budget is currently used and how it performs. I want to draw the attention of the House briefly to three specific issues. First, there is an absolute need to continue the drive to ensure proper value for money in the spending undertaken by the Commission and by the various funds of the EC. We debated that matter all too briefly yesterday when we had the annual debate on the report of the Court of Auditors. That report reveals that there is a need for constant watchfulness about the way in which some of the programmes of the Community are monitored and undertaken. That is not to say that those programmes are not valuable—many of them are—but we must ensure that we get proper value for money within them.

Secondly, there is undoubtedly a case for looking for and continuing to press within the Community for changes to the balance within the overall Community budget between agricultural support and all other aspects of expenditure. Agriculture still gobbles up the overwhelming proportion of the Community's budget funds and the farmers at the end of the line do not benefit by anything like the amount that goes in at the start of the pipeline. There is undoubtedly a need for reform and change within the expenditure of the Community and especially within the operation of the common agricultural policy. I hope that we shall begin to see some changes, especially with the external pressure from the negotiations on the general agreement on tariffs and trade. The process of the Uruguay round may provide just the extra external stimulus that will provide for some sensible changes in the patterns of expenditure and agricultural support with the Community.

Thirdly, we must acknowledge the growing importance within the EC budget of the regional funds, especially as economic co-operation between the 12 member countries of the Community increases. If we are to move along the road towards greater economic and monetary union within the EC, the regional funds will have a crucial part to play in ensuring that we can still have some mechanisms for addressing the imbalances between different regions of the Community.

The Opposition do not wish to see a European Community divided between its rich and poor citizens and its rich and poor regions. The principal mechanism that can and must be used to ensure that that does not happen has to be a sensible and developing use of the regional funds.

My hon. Friend has rightly and sensibly placed the issues before us. He has considerable experience from his time in Strasbourg and from his distinguished career on the ministerial Benches in the House. He has a fund of experience to bring to bear on the issues. Therefore, I am sure that he will share with me a determination not to rubbish the EC and all that is stands for, but a determination rather to make the EC work successfully and properly for the people of Britain and Europe. Labour Members have a constructive approach to the developing co-operation of Europe— we just wish that Her Majesty's Government would show the same approach, which they have not done in the past.