EUROPE: THE European Union is designed to meet the needs of all citizens locally, regionally, nationally and across the Union as a whole (HAS, Aug 23).

The EU works using the principle of subsidiarity, meaning that problems are best resolved as near to the people concerned as possible.

Member governments study the drafts produced by the EU to ensure that they meet their needs. Most countries look upon actions taken by the Union as theirs since their politicians were party to the decisions made. Perhaps we should remember that our politicians have also taken part in such decision-making.

Sometimes a member country may want to proceed either centrally or regionally and finds that this could be achieved more efficiently with assistance from the Union. This is allowed for under the constitution. Then there are areas of shared competence such as the internal market, freedom, security and justice, transport, the environment, and consumer protection.

The proposed constitution says: "The Union shall respect the national identities of its member states, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, including regional and local self government. It shall respect the essential state functions, including ensuring the territorial integrity of the state and maintaining law and order and safeguarding internal security."

Far from dominating countries, the EU constitution sets the framework for the co-operation between them that ensures peace in Europe and provides a model to which other troubled parts of the world aspire. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

THE proposed European constitution is causing concern among several contributors (HAS, Aug 23).

In the UK we are governed by tradition and precedent, which is highly unsatisfactory.

We citizens need cast iron guarantees in law to protect our rights and only a proper European constitution can provide this.

The regions of our country can be likened to the states in America with the protection of the American constitution.

Isn't it sensible to have a constitution which protects the rights of all Europeans, thereby eradicating anomalies within countries?

With America adopting a much more aggressive attitude to world events, it is imperative that Europe presents a united front in both economic and political matters. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

Hartlepool

UNDER the NHS Teesside review, it is possible that the Accident and Emergency department at Hartlepool Hospital could close. Peter Mandelson asks that his constituents accept his judgement on the issue. As a user of the NHS, with no private health provision, it seems simple to me. The NHS was set up to serve the people who pay for it, not administrators, politicians or possible Foundation Trusts.

To have to travel to North Tees Hospital, especially in the case of an emergency, is NOT an option for the people of Hartlepool, it is as simple as that. - Geoff Lilley, Hartlepool.

EAST CLEVELAND

ON Redcar and Cleveland council, Labour refused to tackle the big issues and left them ticking like timebombs. Following Labour's defeat in the May elections, the new council coalition of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Independents began to tackle them from the first day.

Labour and its local leader David Walsh failed the people of Redcar and Cleveland and that is why the people so resoundingly gave him the boot, and they are unlikely to forget. - Coun Valerie Halton (Con), Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services, Guisborough.

REGIONAL GOVT

SCOTTISH Tory leader David McLetchie is as confused as ever over devolution (Echo, Aug 27). He is still falsely claiming that an elected regional assembly would "use up powers from local councils" - totally untrue.

This is rich coming from a party that removed powers wholesale from democratically-elected local councils and gave them to unelected (and very expensive) quangos. He complains that some councils "may even be abolished" - forgetting how many local councils were abolished by the Tories.

If the North-East gets an elected assembly, the "two tier" system of local government will be replaced by all-purpose unitary authorities. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the people of Northumberland and Durham will now have a choice of which unitary councils they want, as well as voting for or against an elected assembly.

A North-East assembly will take powers from central, not local, government and will take over many of the unelected quangos that run our region now.

Unlike quangos, assembly members will be directly accountable to the people of the region who will vote them into (and out of) office.

Tories will, of course, stand for election to the regional assembly, even though they are against it. - Coun Chris Foote-Wood, President, Northern Region Liberal Democrats, Bishop Auckland.

DEER KILLING

I FIND it hard to follow the logic of Jim Tague (HAS, Aug 23). Prince William was out with Masai warriors, so he had to butcher a defenceless deer? What's Mr Tague saying? That the only difference between Wills and an African primitive is that the former wears a suit? - Aled Jones, Bridlington.