N-VA welcomes greater autonomy for Wales

In a referendum yesterday the Welsh people opted to have a greater say in the competences devolved to their assembly. Based on preliminary results it appears that the National Assembly for Wales will in the future be able to make laws on its own for all matters pertaining to its areas of competence. Until now, this has only been possible with the approval of the UK parliament. The N-VA welcomed this development by stating “Wales already had authority over numerous domains, from culture to agriculture to economic development, but it still needed to receive the UK Parliament’s approval to validate every decision. With this vote, the Welsh people have clearly shown that they now want to be masters of their own destiny.” During a heated campaign, the Welsh majority party, Plaid Cymru, which is an N-VA partner in the EFA group at the European Parliament, strongly focused on the growing sense of a common identity among the Welsh.