EU membership – still good value for money

1.0European Movement UKhttps://euromove.blogactiv.euEuropean Movement UKhttps://euromove.blogactiv.eu/author/euromove/EU membership – still good value for moneyThe latest figures on the EU budget and the UK’s contribution towards it show that the cost is going up. A forecast published by the Treasury just before the summer recess showed that this year’s net contribution will be £4.1 billion, up from an earlier forecast of £3.3 billion, and in 2010-11 it will be £6.4 billion. Britain’s net contribution to the EU budget is rising because of a change in the rebate system that was agreed in 2005 resulting from EU enlargement. The rebate is a special payment back to the UK from the other member states in recognition of some structural differences in the UK public finances (higher VAT revenues, for example) that would otherwise lead to a disproportionately high UK contribution to the budget. The change that was made exempted the poor, former communist countries that joined the EU in 2004 from having to contribute to the rebate: it would be perverse to expect poorer countries to subsidise one of the richer ones. But, even with the increase in the net contribution, Britain’s EU membership still represents good value for money. It does this in three ways. First, there is an economic return to the UK. Much of the EU’s budget is used to invest in the poorer parts of Europe, improving their living standards and enabling them to become better customers for Britain. British exports to places such as Poland and Hungary are rising as a result. Secondly, there is an indirect economic return in that Britain’s net contribution is a quid pro quo for membership of the single market. Poorer, less competitive countries, that might otherwise be tempted by protectionism, are thereby willing to join us in the world’s largest marketplace, with 500 million consumers, wider choice and lower prices. Our living standards have improved as a result and 3.5 million jobs are linked to this trade. Thirdly, there is the broader political benefit. Think of the EU as an insurance against war or bad relations with our nearest neighbours. For centuries, our foreign policy was characterised by fear and the threat of war. Since the creation of the EU, all of that is forgotten. And the cost? The average cost per family of EU membership is £257 next year, or about 70 pence per day. Compare that with the average household insurance policy, that costs about £350 a year, or the average car insurance policy that costs more than £500 a year. It provides economic benefits for now, and insurance for a better future. EU membership is good value for money.rich