New EU rules which introduce “polluter pays” principles to get pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to pay for the pollution they cause in rivers will not be adopted by the government in England, as campaigners say the country is falling behind.
Lawmakers in Europe have signed off on an update to the urban waste water treatment (UWWT) directive, which is to further tighten restrictions on pollution. More nutrients from agricultural waste and sewage will have to be removed from waterways under the new rules. It also for the first time applies standards to micropollutants such as chemicals from pharmaceutical waste.
They are probably referencing their vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in which they presumably voted yes, but which ultimately failed.
I don’t have any skin in that particular game, but if I were Scottish I would be absolutely livid with how they were treated. Just one example:
Scotland is by and large in favour of the EU. During indyref they were told that leaving the UK means leaving the EU, they chose to stay in the UK, then England dragged them out of the EU a mere two years later anyway.