A Greek exit from the eurozone would be damaging to Scotland, whose households each enjoy a £3000 a year benefit from the UK's membership of the EU, industry leader John Cridland has said in Edinburgh.

The director-general of the Confederation of British Industry said it was in Scotland's interests to see a successful resolution to the Greece crisis, even though it accounted for only about 0.5per cent of exports. "We should not be complacent because the risk of contagion is very significant," Mr Cridland said.

"If we can't keep Greece in Europe you take a brick out of the wall. Other countries which have dug deep with reforms to stay in and sort out their problems, other Mediterranean countries and the Irish republic - we don't want to make life difficult for them."

Mr Cridland added: "I am hopeful there will be an eleventh hour resolution, the story of the eurozone is that European political leaders always manage to do the right thing at the last minute."

On the effect of the crisis on perceptions of Europe in the UK, Mr Cridland said: "We have to explain the benefits of Europe much more effectively.

"The CBI believes that the net benefit to each Scottish household of being in the EU is £3000 a year. If we weren't in the EU I am not saying they would lose £3000 a year because there would be an agreement between the UK and the rest of the EU but I would assert that the £3000 would be lower - whatever agreement we had would not be as advantageous."

In a wide-ranging address later to the organisation's annual dinner, Mr Cridland said: "We want to see the EU doing more of what it does well - like updating the single market and signing free trade agreements with the rest of the world - and less of what it does badly - including regulation on lifestyle issues or some aspects of employment law."

Mr Cridland said Scotland's biggest export partner was the rest of the UK, whose nations needed "the core, unwavering strengths of our Union".

He went on: "Common business taxes, a single regime for financial regulation, a single energy market in Great Britain and a cross-border set of employment law. These are the 'crown jewels' of our united 'economic' kingdom - keeping complexity to a minimum, acting as a magnet for investment and driving growth in the process.

"But devolution can also be an opportunity to get all regions and nations firing on all cylinders when it comes to growth. Here in Scotland, apprenticeships is one area where devolution has paid dividends.

"At the CBI, we've been clear that where promises of further devolution have already been made - like the Scotland Bill - these should be delivered to give business the certainty it needs. But looking forward, we must ensure that any further devolution of power is driven by economic evidence."

Mr Cridland said that amid concerns about corporate tax and culture, the CBI's 'great business debate' was about "making it clear that we are the consumer's champion".