The Lib Dem #WhyIamIm campaign on Twitter & Facebook earlier this week  has been a great success with many people tweeting why it is important for the UK to stay in the Europe Union.  The campaign has been linked to Nick Clegg’s powerful speech in London about why we need to stay in the EU.    Interestingly, I came across two documents this week; one shows why it is important for us to stay in Europe & the Single Market and the other highlights the dangers and uncertainties of leaving it.

 

The first document is part of the Governments exhaustive “Review of the Balance of Competences” , entitiled “Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union – The Single Market”.   It looks at how the Single Market for “the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital (the so-called Four Freedoms)” came into existence,  where the current legal responsibilities & powers lie between the Member States & the EU, looks at the UK national interest  and, finally, looks at the future challenges facing the Single market.

The conclusion to Chapter 3 states  “… integration has brought to the EU, and hence to the UK, in most if not all observers’ opinions, appreciable economic benefits. It has also spread the UK’s liberal model of policy-making more widely across the EU. But it has brought with it constraints on policy-making of varying kinds, and a regulatory framework which some find difficult to operate within or find burdensome, even if the obligations are not necessarily any greater than would have been imposed nationally. Is that trade-off, between cost and benefit, between economics and politics, of overall benefit to the UK? … Most observers, and indeed most of the evidence received for this report, answer positively. They do so, not without qualifications or reservations, but with a focus on the economic benefits already achieved… and on those potentially available in the future.”

This shows that, while the EU & the Single Market are not perfect, we would lose far more than we would gain if we left.  Indeed, leaving the Single market would leave the UK far poorer.

 

The second document in a House of Commons research paper has an equally catchy title “Leaving the EU – RP13-42“.  It is an exhaustive examination of the various legal & diplomatic issues that would be involved with the UK deciding to leave the EU, what the alternatives might be and on the impact on leaving would have on different policy areas.  It doesn’t draw any conclusions but states the possible options and the problems with them.

I can’t claim to have read all 100+ pages of this report but to quote from the Summary “Whatever the arrangement, there is likely to be a trade-off between the level of access to the single market, and freedom from EU product regulations, social and employment legislation, and budgetary contributions.”  it does seem that leaving the EU is an inviting option as access to the Single Market would mean meeting the same regulations & legislation as we currently do but without a say in framing it.  We would also (as the non- counties in the EEA already do) have to pay nearly as much as we do now into the EU for that privilege.

 

Taken together, the two documents show the possible benefits for staying in the EU and the dangers of leaving.  The EU is far from being perfect but if we are not in it and leading the reforms, then we will be left behind, as Nick said today “…leaving the EU would be economic suicide.  You cannot overstate the damage it would do to British livelihoods and prosperity.”

Join our campaign to keep the UK where it belongs, in the EU and helping to shape it’s future.

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