Edward McMillan-Scott - whose maternal family came from near Wetherby - has assisted many projects in receiving millions in grants from the EU - from York's medieval Barley Hall to the Whitby Headland project, as well as EU funding programmes focussed on the needs of the region.

 He has also set up organisations which focus on the opportunities a free-market EU can offer in today's world. Yorkshire lovely uplands

The geography of the region is largely rural, with a distinctive coastline and numerous fishing ports, from Whitby down to Grimsby.  The two upland areas are known as the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.  The region has several large cities, such as Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, York and Hull.  Tourism is a key factor in the modern economy but the traditional steel and coal industries are still active.

The Yorkshire & Humber Government Office http://www.goyh.gov.uk/ in Leeds has representatives from a number of central government departments, including those responsible for administering EU granta and loans. Further information on EU financial support can be found at http://www.euronet.org.uk/

The regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward www.yorkshire-forward.com is based in Leeds and it has an office in Brussels.

Currently there are two Conservative, two Labour, one LibDem and one UKIP MEP.  Their details are on the European Parliament website www.europarl.europa.eu