The European Union:

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The European Union A EUROREALIST VIEW ltYour
Namegt
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What is the EU?

• The EU was founded in 1957 under the Treaty of
  Rome by France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux
  nations.
• The aims
• Prevention of future war.
• Creating an ever closer union between the
  peoples of Europe.
• Encouraging economic co-operation and
  development.

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The EU today 27 members, 501m citizens-The most
recent members (Romania and Bulgaria) joined in
January 2007
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Why Should We Care About the EU?

• Approximately half of our laws now originate in
  an unelected bureaucracy in Brussels!
• Being a member of the EU costs us money. The UK
  contributed 9.2bn in 2010.
• Only 29 of UK citizens think membership of the
  EU is a good thing.
• It is such a politically sensitive issue that
  none of the major political parties want to talk
  about it.

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The Widening and Deepening of European Integration

• The EU has expanded from 6 to 27 members.
• EU competences now include many areas of policy
  traditionally reserved for nation states, e.g.
• Single currency
• The Social Charter
• Border control

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Why We Should be Concerned

• The EU is undemocratic.
• The EU threatens national sovereignty.
• The EU is corrupt and unaccountable.
• The EU is crippling the UK economy and business
  with red-tape and protectionism.
• The EU is keeping the developing world in
  poverty.

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1. The EU is Undemocratic
European Commission Unelected bureaucracy, but
holds a monopoly on proposing new law.
Council of Ministers Meets in secret to
accept/reject amendments, largely by QMV.
European Parliament Traffics legislation at
break-neck speed and can only accept, reject or
propose amendments to legislation.
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2. The EU Threatens Sovereignty

• The EU has imposed more laws on us than
  parliament has in 700 years
• c.33000 Pieces of legislation adopted up to the
  end of 2010
• QMV means the UK can vote against a proposal, yet
  still have to enact it.
• EU law now trumps UK law.

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The EU Constitution

• The EU drafted a Constitutional Treaty in 2002,
  which was finalised and signed by representatives
  of the member states in 2004.
• The Constitution was supposed to combine existing
  Treaties to clarify what the EUs
  responsibilities were.
• But it was actually a further step in eroding
  sovereignty
• The EU would derive its powers from its own
  constitution, not its Member States.
• EU given a legal personality
• No limits were set on the EUs powers
• QMV to become the norm of EU decision-making with
  national vetoes on 63 issues lost

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The reformed EU Constitution

• France and the Netherlands both rejected the EU
  Constitution in referendums in June 2005.
• The response of the Constitutions author
• Lets be clear about this. The
  rejection of the Constitution was a
  mistake that will have to be corrected. -
  Valery Giscard dEstaing
• The Constitutional project was resurrected under
  the guise of the Lisbon Treaty
• It replaced the Constitution (but 96 of its
  content was the same as the Constitutional Treaty)

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The Lisbon Treaty

• We are united in our aim of placing the EU on a
  renewed common basis before EP elections in 2009
• - Berlin Declaration, March 2007
• The Lisbon Treaty was signed in December 2007.
• However, Ireland rejected it in a referendum in
  June 2008
• Following controversial negotiations, Ireland
  voted Yes in a second vote in October 2009.
• The euro-sceptic Czech Republic President, Vaclav
  Klaus, campaigned against the Treaty, but
  eventually signed it.
• The Treaty came into force in December 2009

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The Lisbon Treaty

• Whats included
• Institutional changes
• Removal of the pillar structure
• Co-decision ? ordinary legislative procedure
  (slightly greater role for the EP)
• New mechanism for the enforcement of the
  subsidiarity principle
• Extension of QMV in Council of Ministers
• Formalisation of the European Council and its
  President
• Democracy and Rights
• Citizens Initiative
• Withdrawal procedure
• Charter of Fundamental Rights becomes legally
  binding
• Europe as a global actor
• Legal personality
• High Representative of the Union for Foreign
  Affairs
• External Action Service

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High Representative for Foreign Affairs Baroness
Catherine Ashton

• President of the European Council Herman van
  Rompuy

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3.The EU is Corrupt and Accountable to No-one

• Limited lines of accountability between the EU
  and its citizens.
• The EUs own auditors have refused to sign off EU
  accounts for the last sixteen years!
• EU accounts show limited links between the
  billions poured in and where the money actually
  goes.
• EU commissioners and civil servants have immunity
  from prosecution for life within the EU.

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Annual Increases in the EU Budget
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4.Crippling the Economy

• The total gross cost to the UK of EU membership
  in 2008 was 65bn
• 28bn on meeting EU regulations
• 17bn on additional food costs due to CAP
• 3.3bn lost due to CFP
• 14.6bn direct funding
• In 2010, the EU cost UK taxpayers around 300
  each
• The UKs defence spending is only 37bn pa!

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• Without the costs of EU membership and
  regulations, the UK could be 356bn richer by
  2018.

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The uro

• The euro was launched in 1999. Notes and coins
  were introduced in 2002.
• There are 17 Member States in the Eurozone.
• It was intended to make it easier to do business
  across the EU.
• One size fits all interest rate in the Eurozone
  is fitting no-one.
• 2010 Eurozone crisis - 273bn has been spent so
  far bailing out Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
• Why risk entry?

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Crippling Business

• EU legislation costs European business 405bn
  a year. There is a view that the more regulations
  you have, the more rules you have, the more
  Europe you have. -Gunter Verheugen
• The total net cost of major EU regulations for UK
  business was 88.3bn at the end of July 2010
• In a poll of 1000 chief executives, 54 said the
  costs of the extra regulation outweighed the
  benefits of the Single Market.
• The costs to businesses are considered one of the
  main barriers to growth
• E.g. EU rules on safety standards for chemicals
  in 2010 had the potential to cause many companies
  to cease manufacturing as they were financially
  unable to comply.

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Protectionism

• The EU restricts free trade by imposing tariffs
  (a tax) on imports to the EU.
• It also subsidises EU producers e.g. through CAP.
• Certain EU members, notably France and Spain,
  openly flout the four economic freedoms

• This is all against the principle of the Single
  Market which the EU nominally aims to achieve.

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Protectionism the cost to the UK

• CAP costs the UK c.10.3bn per year 398 per
  household.
• UK citizens face an extra 17bn on their food
  bills because of the CAP
• This hits the poorest in the UK the hardest.

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5. The EU is keeping the developing world poor

• Exports from developing countries are effectively
  blocked off by EU tariffs and subsidies.
• Excess agricultural produce in the EU is often
  dumped in Africa.
• E.g. Sugar The EU has among the worlds highest
  sugar production costs, yet it is the worlds
  biggest producer of white sugar.

World white sugar exports percentage share of
the market (2001)
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Enlargement

• On 1 May 2004, 10 new countries, mainly in
  Central and Eastern Europe, joined the EU.
• Romania and Bulgaria joined on 1 January 2007.
• Yet the structure of the EU was built for 6, not
  27, member states. It needs reforming.
• Average GDP per head in the 10 Member States that
  joined in 2004 was just 52.9 of the EU-15.
• The Copenhagen Criteria has been applied too
  loosely and was not met by Romania and Bulgaria
  prior to accession. Turkey is even further off.
• Enlargement has raised many issues regarding
  immigration to the UK, the response to which has
  been chaotic.

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Immigration

• Enlargement has resulted in huge migration
• Between 2004 and 2009, net migration from Eastern
  Europe totalled 304,000
• Many came from Poland.
• June 2007-08 100,000 people migrated from
  Central and Eastern Europe to the UK
• Numbers dropped during 2008, but increased again
  from 2010
• Migrants are more economically active than the
  domestic workforce and have put c.240m into the
  UK economy.
• But social cohesion is a huge problem.

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Better off out?

• The EU should stop the tide of regulation and
  focus on where it can make real changes free
  trade and CAP reform.
• The EU must return Member States power to revoke
  legislation.
• The EU is making us poorer, less democratic and
  less free. Daniel Hannan MEP

Europe should do less, but do it better!
Jacques Delors, 1992