Europe-Am I missing something?

ILW

Generali wrote: »

Not unreasonable. However the EU generally require membership with all the other costs of various follies to allow access to the Single Market. There are exceptions I believe.



My limited knowledge of the CAP is that it is appalling and indefensible.

This is what I do not understand.

Are you saying that if the UK were not members that they would not be allowed to sell to or buy from EU members?

If the CAP is that bad, what are the advantages of us chucking billions into it?

Sorry to sound a bit dense but I am having a real problem trying to figure what the advantages are for the richer members.

Orpheo

I'm starting an investment scheme. I guarantee to return to you 85% of what you put in. Any takers?

ILW

Orpheo wrote: »

I'm starting an investment scheme. I guarantee to return to you 85% of what you put it. Any takers?

If you promise that the 15% surplus goes to pay Greek tobacco farmers and massive salaries and pensions for the administrators I would go for it.

Rats it appears I am already in a similar scheme so will have to decline your generous offer.

Generali

ILW wrote: »

This is what I do not understand.

Are you saying that if the UK were not members that they would not be allowed to sell to or buy from EU members?

If the CAP is that bad, what are the advantages of us chucking billions into it?

Sorry to sound a bit dense but I am having a real problem trying to figure what the advantages are for the richer members.

If the UK wasn't a member of the EU then they would risk not having unfettered access to the Single Market. It is very unusual for non-EU members to have said access, non-EU companies will have import taxes applied on many of their exports to the EU.

They may also have to pass extra regulatory rules and regulations, eg have to have their products pass safety checks in their local market and in the EU too whereas if you pass a safety check in the UK at present, you can sell your products in a market of hundreds of millions of people, most of whom have some disposable income.

Access to the Single Market is probably worth tens of billions of pounds to British importers and exporters.

The UK's net contribution to the EU budget is about EUR2,750,000,000. Not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things.

ILW

[QUOTE=Generali;38453380]If the UK wasn't a member of the EU then they would risk not having unfettered access to the Single Market. It is very unusual for non-EU members to have said access, non-EU companies will have import taxes applied on many of their exports to the EU.

They may also have to pass extra regulatory rules and regulations, eg have to have their products pass safety checks in their local market and in the EU too whereas if you pass a safety check in the UK at present, you can sell your products in a market of hundreds of millions of people, most of whom have some disposable income.

Access to the Single Market is probably worth tens of billions of pounds to British importers and exporters.

The UK's net contribution to the EU budget is about EUR2,750,000,000. Not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things.[/QUOTE]

If that is the case, why is it that the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans etc seem to be doing fine at selling their goods to the UK (and I assume the rest of Europe)? As far as I know they are not EU members.

PasturesNew

Surely it's easy to split it up and say "You're in our Buying/Selling Club Only", so just free trade and passage of goods, which is what I always thought Europe was for when we first joined.

PasturesNew

Generali wrote: »

The UK's net contribution to the EU budget is about EUR2,750,000,000. Not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things.

But is that just the cheque they hand over, or "all of it". By "all of it" I mean the added expense that being in brings: expensive people doing jobs and having offices and staff and travelling on expenses to meetings and then having other meetings, meetings about meetings, and staying in hotels.... then producing leaflets.

It's like being invited to a wedding: free. But then you spend £300 on an outfit, shoes, hairdo, gift, card, wrapping paper, transport to the venue, overnight in the hotel, drinks at the bar.

Loughton_Monkey

PasturesNew wrote: »

Surely it's easy to split it up and say "You're in our Buying/Selling Club Only", so just free trade and passage of goods, which is what I always thought Europe was for when we first joined.

That's what most of us thought. But the 'cynics', at the time, suggested it was the first step towards "United States of Europe".

So who was right?

ILW

PasturesNew wrote: »

Surely it's easy to split it up and say "You're in our Buying/Selling Club Only", so just free trade and passage of goods, which is what I always thought Europe was for when we first joined.

That is what I would have thought, which is why I asked what am I missing? Nobody seems to be able to explain, Generali has given it a good try though.

Generali

ILW wrote: »

If that is the case, why is it that the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans etc seem to be doing fine at selling their goods to the UK (and I assume the rest of Europe)? As far as I know they are not EU members.

Because they are so good at what they do that they can cope with the inefficiencies of paying tariffs etc.

Anyway off to bed. Enjoy chatting about those evil Europeans!