EU Reporter: Why UK is better off in EU

Following the Conservatives' surprise majority victory in the 7 May 2015 UK general election, talk has inevitably turned to whether the UK will be a part of the EU following David Cameron's promised 2017 'in-out' referendum.

At this juncture, and representing as it does the key EU policymakers, NGOs and lobbyists, and wishing to ensure that our motives are transparent to the many thousands of readers who visit our site every month, EU Reporter is nailing its colours to the mast, to declare why we believe that the best position for the UK to be in is inside, not outside, the European Union.

And why? Allow us to elucidate.

EU safeguards workers’ rights

This might just be the most important reason to stay in the EU. Four weeks paid holiday per year, the 48-hour working week, anti-discrimination laws, guaranteed rights for agency workers, guaranteed worker consultation – all of these protections exist because of the EU. If we took away the steel shield of EU employment law, workers’ rights would be at the mercy of any future British government.

Free trade

The EU has free trade between all its member states, as part of the single market. This means that UK businesses do not have to concern themselves with quotas or import taxes, which further means that almost 50% of the UK's exports go to the EU. In addition, the EU also has an iron tariff wall against non-members, which would be harmful for the UK to be up against.

EU encourages investment in Britain

Concerning foreign investment, the EU has attracted millions of pounds. For this reason, weighty manufacturers and commercial service-providers are very keen to invest in the EU, because it acts as a gateway to the single market. If the UK left, this would become a bridge to nowhere.

Police co-ordination

Thanks to the European Arrest Warrant, the 'Costa del Crime' is no longer a hiding place for UK criminals, and nor is anywhere else in the EU.

EU structural funds

Structural funds are the funds that are shared among the most deprived areas in the EU. For many years, they have contributed to investment and infrastructure across the UK: especially in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Cornwall. Over the next five years, England alone will receive more than £6 billion in Structural Funds, Wales £2bn, Scotland £795 million, and Northern Ireland £457m.

Influence within Europe

If the UK wants the EU to work in Britain’s interests, then it needs to be involved in EU decision-making. France and Germany will have no incentive to listen to Britain if the country is not playing on the same team. If Britain leaves the EU, there will be no one to stand up for British interests when decisions are made that affect the country, such as changes to trade or investment laws.

Influence outside Europe

Strength in numbers is more than just a saying. At the global negotiating table, the UK could be an insignificant little country with an insignificant loner economy. Or, it could be the leading partner in the biggest combined economy in the world (with a GDP of just under €13 trillion). Which is the more influential position to be in? If the UK is competing in the ‘global race’, as David Cameron claims, then we’re better off on the relay team.

Immigration – good for Britain

Immigration, when unchecked, can obviously have a lot of downsides. But immigration generally has been very good for Britain, and we shouldn’t be afraid to say it. The EU’s immigration policy makes it easier for tourists to come and spend money, and it makes it easier to attract highly skilled workers like doctors or engineers when we suffer from skill shortages.

Emigration – good for the British

The other side of the coin is emigration: British people are free to live, work and go on holiday wherever they want in the EU, without having to get an expensive visa or go through time-consuming bureaucracy.

Market fairness

Through its extensive competition law, the EU ensures that capitalism actually works. For example, when a government department contracts out a service, it has to ‘put it to tender’ i.e. ensure that several companies bid competitively for the contract. The contract can’t simply be handed over to the company that took the minister out for a nice dinner; and that’s because of EU competition law.

And there we have it – for these reasons, and many more, EU Reporter now stands four-square behind the UK remaining a part of the European Union. We look forward very much to *your* thoughts.

Click here to hear EU Reporter Publisher Colin Stevens explain his website's stance.

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