Advantages of EU

[harry hayes]

Interested to know what advantages there are in being a member of the European union.

 

I am a Daily Mail reader, and all I read about is the expense;apparently daft regulations; cushy life-style; and interference.

It can't be all doom and gloom - can it?

 

Happy days

 

When somebody violently disagrees with you - one of you is mad. Be sure it isn't you.

[Bazj]

.................... well there you have it then.

 

In 5 hours, nobody can think of an advantage Harry..... not even Kije

 

Guess I was right all along!!!

[observer]

Well they've doubled the entertainments budget; perhaps MEPs are going to put on a Panto?!

[inky pete]

Nope, still can't think of any advantages of being in the EU over just being in the the EEA.

 

Maybe there AREN'T any! Crikey, there's a thought!

 

[Peter T]

I think we will have to wait for Kije to help us out.

One benefit to the UK, was that the Welsh got a load of money to improve their roads. Didn't they also get money for the Yachting Marina at Pwhelli?

[Bazj]

I think we will have to wait for Kije to help us out.

One benefit to the UK, was that the Welsh got a load of money to improve their roads. Didn't they also get money for the Yachting Marina at Pwhelli?

 

But then they stuck a load of speed cameras everywhere to catch the English tourists so that they can fund the upkeep!!

 

 

I wouldn't go to Wales again in a hurry

[observer]

Interesting watching a financial breakdown on a TV prog - seems a large portion of the EU budget is to fund the Common Agricultural Policy, which is used to boost inefficient farmers - we get ?7billion back, the Frogs and the Krauts get ?13billion each.

[algy]

Massive advantages for being in the EU if you are Spanish or Irish

[observer]

Yep, you can suffer austerity measures worse than ours!

[algy]

they have had their cake now they must suffer the indigestion.

[P J]

Economic Benefits of EU for UK

 

 

1. Free Trade with EU trading partners. Trade with EU countries now accounts for over 60% of UK?s trade (compared to 16% for US). This has helped create jobs in the export sector and is an important determinant of UK growth.

2. Lower Prices for Consumers. Free trade and increased competitiveness of the EU has enabled consumers to benefit from lower prices, at least for some goods.

3. Regional aid. Areas like S. Wales and the North East of England benefited from European regional grants which helped the local economy?s improve. However the UK no longer has any relatively deprived areas (after eastern countries entered)

4. Harmonisation of Rules and regulations: These have reduced costs for business.

5. EU rebate means that membership of the EU costs effectively very little.

 

 

 

Economics Costs of European Union for the UK.

 

 

1. Common Agricultural Policy has inflated prices of agricultural goods.

2. Common Agricultural Policy has been a major stumbling block in trade negotiations making it more difficult to reduce tariffs on UK exports. Thus some UK exporters have lost out as a result of EU?s protectionism in agriculture.

3. Common Agricultural Policy has tended to favour large farmers. Thus it has done nothing to reduce inequality within agriculture. The CAP has also tended to perpetuate inefficient farms. Although reforms to CAP have reduced the quantity of food surpluses there is still a significant % of the EU budget spent on subsidising inefficient farms.

4. Cost of bureaucracy and European parliament. Although the press have often exaggerated the real cost of the EU it remains an extra level of bureaucracy for the UK to deal with.

5. Free movement of labour has caused pressure on housing within the UK in certain cities like London. On the other hand immigrants from Eastern Europe have filled various job vacancies and played an important role in the economy.

 

 

Still not much wiser as to how much it costs or if we gain to be honest. I think a lot of percieved advantages may not always carry an easily quantifiable monetary value

[wahl]

PJ academic.

the EU has a corrupt management and an equally corrupt administration. this country cannot change this as it is too late so all it can do is walk away and look after ourselves.

[observer]

Think the balance of trade with the EU is weighted in favour of mainland Europe? EU tariffs are designed to exclude global competion and depress imports from the third world. The CAP rewards inefficient small farmers (especially in France) and we have the nonesense of EU payments for farmers to keep fields fallow. The free movement of labour, has brought with it the free movement of benefit and service consumption. The regular transfer of the Brussels gravy train to Strasbourg was born out French interest, and is costing ?millions. The "rebate" is a negligable amount and cost us the sole use of some of our National fishing areas, we are still a NET contributor to this farce.

[Bazj]

1. Free trade with the EU is not just reserved for memebrs of the EU....

2. Prices should be harmonised to make it fair. that way everyone in Europe would pay the same for fuel, clothes and other items.... whether that would benefit the UK is another question, but fairness is a buzz word the politicians live by these days

3. Well that sums up a few things then.....

4. Questionable, but we will go along with it for now!!

5. For how long is the rebaye sustainable then....especially as Bliar handed a wedge of it back when he was preparing himself for multimillionaire status (sorry, I mean preparing himself for retirement!!)

[P J]

PJ academic.

the EU has a corrupt management and an equally corrupt administration. this country cannot change this as it is too late so all it can do is walk away and look after ourselves.

 

What, unlike the UK you mean

 

And whats with the PJ academic title, are you attempting to compliment or insult me

[P J]

1. Free trade with the EU is not just reserved for memebrs of the EU....

2. Prices should be harmonised to make it fair. that way everyone in Europe would pay the same for fuel, clothes and other items.... whether that would benefit the UK is another question, but fairness is a buzz word the politicians live by these days

3. Well that sums up a few things then.....

4. Questionable, but we will go along with it for now!!

5. For how long is the rebaye sustainable then....especially as Bliar handed a wedge of it back when he was preparing himself for multimillionaire status (sorry, I mean preparing himself for retirement!!)

 

Baz, I never said I was in favour or against the EU, the OP asked a question and I attempted to answer it admittedly with the help of google. From what I can determine the EU membership does indeed cost each person in Britain between ?45 to ?75 per year but I'm sure you would agree that compared with what this Government just piled on as tax onto Air travel this piffling amount seems a relative bargain

[Peter T]

I thought Bliar was doing that to get the Presidency.

[inky pete]

Economic Benefits of EU for UK

 

 

1. Free Trade with EU trading partners. Trade with EU countries now accounts for over 60% of UK?s trade (compared to 16% for US). This has helped create jobs in the export sector and is an important determinant of UK growth.

2. Lower Prices for Consumers. Free trade and increased competitiveness of the EU has enabled consumers to benefit from lower prices, at least for some goods.

3. Regional aid. Areas like S. Wales and the North East of England benefited from European regional grants which helped the local economy?s improve. However the UK no longer has any relatively deprived areas (after eastern countries entered)

4. Harmonisation of Rules and regulations: These have reduced costs for business.

5. EU rebate means that membership of the EU costs effectively very little.

 

 

 

Economics Costs of European Union for the UK.

 

 

1. Common Agricultural Policy has inflated prices of agricultural goods.

2. Common Agricultural Policy has been a major stumbling block in trade negotiations making it more difficult to reduce tariffs on UK exports. Thus some UK exporters have lost out as a result of EU?s protectionism in agriculture.

3. Common Agricultural Policy has tended to favour large farmers. Thus it has done nothing to reduce inequality within agriculture. The CAP has also tended to perpetuate inefficient farms. Although reforms to CAP have reduced the quantity of food surpluses there is still a significant % of the EU budget spent on subsidising inefficient farms.

4. Cost of bureaucracy and European parliament. Although the press have often exaggerated the real cost of the EU it remains an extra level of bureaucracy for the UK to deal with.

5. Free movement of labour has caused pressure on housing within the UK in certain cities like London. On the other hand immigrants from Eastern Europe have filled various job vacancies and played an important role in the economy.

 

 

Still not much wiser as to how much it costs or if we gain to be honest. I think a lot of percieved advantages may not always carry an easily quantifiable monetary value

 

To answer your "advantages" points:-

 

1 & 2. would both be unchanged if we were members of the EEA, or one of the other blocks of countries which can trade freely with the EU - without being EU members.

 

3 & 5. even with the regional aid we've received for some projects and the rebate on our membership, we are still massive NET contributors - to the tune of billions and billions of pounds every year, with absolutely no prospect of the situation ever reversing. If we weren't having to make our EU contributions then we'd have far more money to spend on such projects than we'll ever get back from Brussels.

 

4. EU rules reducing costs to businesses???? Try telling that to any businessman who now has to deal with the Working Time Directive and all the other EU employment regulations, or to any farmer who's bureaucracy overhead has increased ten-fold or more as a direct result of EU policies and regulations.

 

I've still not heard a single genuine advantage we gain from membership.

[P J]

Apparently 3.5 million UK jobs are completely dependent on EU membership.

 

For every pro there seems to be a con and the information I find when trying to better understand the EU seems to be skewed depending upon the agenda of the source.

 

A question though, if we, Germany and France lose so much without any benefits why do we do it? The goodness of our hearts and wishing to help others less fortunate than ourselves must I presume?

 

Incidentally it apparently costs each German about double what it costs a UK citizen

[inky pete]

There may be large numbers of jobs linked to our trade with EU member countries, but few to none of those would be affected if we were to leave the EU and retain our trading rights via the EEA.

 

The Germans do it because they have always wanted to boss the rest of Europe around (they've had a real good go at it twice in the past century, don't forget!), plus they've had a large proportion of their re-unification costs met by the EU on the quiet.

 

The French do it because they like to feel more significant than they actually are, because they don't feel the impact of EU legislation - they just ignore any rules which don't suit them - and because their farmers have become professionals at robbing the EU blind.

 

Both also do it because their countries actually ARE within the continent of Europe, something which is not true of any part of the UK.

[P J]

Thanks for that Pete I can see that this is clearly an emotive subject for you. If you don't mind though I think I'll continue to garner information from other more rational souces regarding E.U. membership and come to my own opinion when I'm a little more enlightened.

 

[inky pete]

The topic was originally asking about any advantages we receive in return for our multi-billion pound outlay on our EU membership.

 

None of our resident Europhilles have yet to post any that bear close examination.

 

To me, that speaks for itself.

[P J]

 

None of our resident Europhilles have yet to post any that bear close examination.

 

 

This would appear to be true, whereas I suppose statements such as "the Germans want to Boss everyone and France wish to feel more significant and are robbers etc.," will stand up to any form of scrutiny

 

By the way are these Europhilles an orchestra from over the channel

[observer]

The origins of the EU owe a lot to the desire of a generation that had witnessed (what they may view as) a civil war in Europe (WW2); Ted Heath shared the same view, and he led us in. It is also viewed by some, with aspirations to be part of Super-State, big enough to take on (economically) the other big beasts on the planet - ironically, until those big beasts fall out and we finish up with a global "civil war".

[Lt Kije]

It is also viewed by some, with aspirations to be part of Super-State

 

Thats me, that is

 

Harry may I suggest you start to read a news paper, instead of the neo fascist propaganda you read at the moment. If you like the right wing press try the Times atleast that paper give you the news