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With today being the last chance to extend the Brexit transition period, it felt like the right moment to look back at what we used to have as EU members.
(Some of the things on this list might end up being replicated in an eventual deal. But none will by default.)
(Some of the things on this list might end up being replicated in an eventual deal. But none will by default.)
1. Membership of the largest single market and customs union in the world. (In 2019, UK exports to the EU were worth ÂŁ300 billion, 43% of all UK exports. UK imports from the EU were worth ÂŁ372 billion, 51% of all UK imports.)
2. Free trade deals with over 50 countries around the world, including Japan, Canada and Mexico.
3. The freedom for UK citizens to travel, work, study and retire anywhere in the EU. They keep this right even if they move from one EU country to another, or back to the UK.
3. The freedom for UK citizens to travel, work, study and retire anywhere in the EU. They keep this right even if they move from one EU country to another, or back to the UK.
4. The freedom for EU citizens to travel, work, study and retire in the UK. (It's a two-way street.)
5. No limits on how long UK citizens can holiday in the EU (after transition ends they'll be limited to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period for countries in the Schengen Area.)
5. No limits on how long UK citizens can holiday in the EU (after transition ends they'll be limited to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period for countries in the Schengen Area.)
6. Free-flowing borders allowing for a just-in-time business model in which parts and materials are delivered as needed, eliminating the requirement for huge stockpiles. Just-in-time underpins hundreds of thousands of jobs in the auto sector, aerospace and other industries.
7. A wide open border between NI and Ireland, with no customs checks or other barriers between NI and the rest of the UK.
8. Support for the Good Friday Agreement, and active promotion of the Irish peace process, including PEACE funding of over EUR 1.5 billion between 1995-2020.
8. Support for the Good Friday Agreement, and active promotion of the Irish peace process, including PEACE funding of over EUR 1.5 billion between 1995-2020.
9. Scientific and academic collaboration, and access to funding
10. Shared space exploration (some will still continue via ESA, but more limited)
11. Participation in the Galileo GPS satellite cluster
10. Shared space exploration (some will still continue via ESA, but more limited)
11. Participation in the Galileo GPS satellite cluster
12. UK driving licenses valid all over the EU
13. UK car insurance valid all over the EU
14. Pet passports that make travel with pets easy
15. A simple scheme of fixed compensation for flight delays & cancellations thanks to EU Air Passenger Rights.
13. UK car insurance valid all over the EU
14. Pet passports that make travel with pets easy
15. A simple scheme of fixed compensation for flight delays & cancellations thanks to EU Air Passenger Rights.
16. European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which provides free or discounted medical care and prescriptions when travelling in the EU. Also includes dialysis treatments for those requiring such procedures.
17. Mobile roaming (calls, texts and data) at home prices
17. Mobile roaming (calls, texts and data) at home prices
18. Portable streaming services, i.e. customers can watch Netflix or listen to Spotify all over the EU, accessing exactly the same content as if they were sat at home.
19. Participation in a union of nations that has ensured the longest unbroken period of peace in Europe (excepting civil wars) for over a thousand years. This desire to break the cycle of wars was a key impetus for the formation of the EU and its predecessor organisations.
20. Right to study in the EU while paying the same lower home fees as locals (also applies to EU students studying in the UK). Note that many EU countries offer free university education.
21. Erasmus student exchange programme that benefits tens of thousands of students a year.
21. Erasmus student exchange programme that benefits tens of thousands of students a year.
22. Simplified VAT reverse charge mechanism that makes accounting easier for those selling across the EU
23. Enhanced consumer protection, including for cross-border shopping
23. Enhanced consumer protection, including for cross-border shopping
24. Horizon 2020 (funding and assistance for over 10,000 collaborative research projects in the UK as part of the world's largest multinational research programme.)
25. Training courses for the unemployed, funded by the European Social Fund
25. Training courses for the unemployed, funded by the European Social Fund
26. Disaster relief funding e.g. the 60 million euro we received for flood relief in 2017
27. Free movement for musicians and their instruments, bands and their equipment, artists and their materials etc. making it easy to organise tours and exhibitions all over Europe.
27. Free movement for musicians and their instruments, bands and their equipment, artists and their materials etc. making it easy to organise tours and exhibitions all over Europe.
28. Enhanced environmental protections
29. Cleaner beaches
30. High air quality standards
31. Court of last resort (ECJ) accessible to individuals and companies
29. Cleaner beaches
30. High air quality standards
31. Court of last resort (ECJ) accessible to individuals and companies
32. REACH regulations & EU Chemicals Agency, improving human, animal & environmental safety around chemicals
33. Safer medicines and quicker certification of new medical products, thanks to pan-EU testing regime
34. Collaboration on infectious diseases and pandemics
33. Safer medicines and quicker certification of new medical products, thanks to pan-EU testing regime
34. Collaboration on infectious diseases and pandemics
35. Security cooperation and sharing of crime/terrorist databases
36. Participation in the European arrest warrant programme
36. Participation in the European arrest warrant programme
37. EURATOM for vital medical isotopes, including very short half-life products
38. Support for rural areas that have long been ignored by successive UK Governments
39. Better food labelling (no hiding chlorinated chicken!)
38. Support for rural areas that have long been ignored by successive UK Governments
39. Better food labelling (no hiding chlorinated chicken!)
40. EU funding for the British film industry, theatre and music
41. European Capital of Culture programme, which has boosted cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool
42. Service providers (e.g. freelance translators) can offer their services to clients all over the EU
41. European Capital of Culture programme, which has boosted cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool
42. Service providers (e.g. freelance translators) can offer their services to clients all over the EU
43. No UK VAT or duty on imports from the EU (great for online shopping
44. EU citizenship (it's a real thing with real benefits especially if you run into trouble abroad, and it's distinct from UK citizenship - look it up!)
44. EU citizenship (it's a real thing with real benefits especially if you run into trouble abroad, and it's distinct from UK citizenship - look it up!)
45. Cross-border collaboration on taxes, to hold huge firms like Amazon and Facebook to account more than we otherwise could (Still not perfect, but *better* than trying to do so alone.)
46. Venture capital funding and startup loans
46. Venture capital funding and startup loans
47. Legal protection for minority languages such as Welsh
48. Mutual recognition of academic qualifications
49. Legal protection for foods of geographic origin, e.g. Melton Mowbray pork pies
50. No credit and debit card surcharges (EU regs made such surcharges illegal)
48. Mutual recognition of academic qualifications
49. Legal protection for foods of geographic origin, e.g. Melton Mowbray pork pies
50. No credit and debit card surcharges (EU regs made such surcharges illegal)
51. EU structural funding (eg. ÂŁ2 billion to Liverpool) with matched private funding requirement
52. A bigger, stronger presence on the world stage
53. Use of EU queues at ports and airports
52. A bigger, stronger presence on the world stage
53. Use of EU queues at ports and airports
54. Products made or grown in the UK can be sold in 31 countries without type approval, customs duties, phytosanitary certificates etc.
55. Strong protection against GM food and chlorinated chicken (EU food standards are among the highest in the whole world)
55. Strong protection against GM food and chlorinated chicken (EU food standards are among the highest in the whole world)
56. Objective 1 funding for deprived areas and regions
57. Financial services passport, enabling firms in the City to service the whole EU market (passporting is what helped make London the financial capital of the world)
58. Strong intellectual property protections
57. Financial services passport, enabling firms in the City to service the whole EU market (passporting is what helped make London the financial capital of the world)
58. Strong intellectual property protections
59. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications
60. Consular protection from any EU embassy outside the EU
61. Baseline of worker protections (which we can improve on at any time, but never drop below)
60. Consular protection from any EU embassy outside the EU
61. Baseline of worker protections (which we can improve on at any time, but never drop below)
62. Open access to the EU market for our fish (the EU buys more than half of all the fish we catch)
63. Enhanced medical research partnerships
64. A friend to cosy up to against the might of the USA and China
65. A willing seasonal workforce to pick our fruit and vegetables
63. Enhanced medical research partnerships
64. A friend to cosy up to against the might of the USA and China
65. A willing seasonal workforce to pick our fruit and vegetables
66. A vital source of medicines (we import 37 million packs a month from the EU)
67. Minimum 2 year guarantee on all products
68. Protection against unfair treatment in the workplace thanks to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
67. Minimum 2 year guarantee on all products
68. Protection against unfair treatment in the workplace thanks to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
69. Minimum of 4 weeks paid leave (introduced by EU in 1993, taken up by the UK in 1998 and later extended to 28 days in 2009)
70. More influence on environmental measures that transcend borders (help shape the policies that all EU countries must follow)
70. More influence on environmental measures that transcend borders (help shape the policies that all EU countries must follow)
71. A say in the running of the EU (when we're outside, the rest of the EU carries on but we have zero influence over its policies)
72. British MEPs and representation at all levels of the EU
72. British MEPs and representation at all levels of the EU
73. Legally enforced 14 day cooling off period on timeshare agreements
74. Some of the highest toy safety standards in the world
75. Protection of 500 bird species under legislation dating back to 1979, and amended in 2009
74. Some of the highest toy safety standards in the world
75. Protection of 500 bird species under legislation dating back to 1979, and amended in 2009
76. Pan-EU institutions (e.g. food, chemicals etc.) save money by doing away for the need for equivalent domestic institutions
This is NOT an exhaustive list. But it gives you a taste of what went by the wayside when we left the EU.
As I said, we *might* get some of this back.
This is NOT an exhaustive list. But it gives you a taste of what went by the wayside when we left the EU.
As I said, we *might* get some of this back.
But nothing happens by default.
The default position is this: we are out of the EU and all of its treaties and agreements. That means everything we had as EU members will be gone at the end of the transition period.
Can we negotiate some back? Maybe. In 6 months? Doubtful.
The default position is this: we are out of the EU and all of its treaties and agreements. That means everything we had as EU members will be gone at the end of the transition period.
Can we negotiate some back? Maybe. In 6 months? Doubtful.
The most important thing to remember is this: Brexit feels like a punishment because of everything we've lost (the long list above, and much more).
But the EU isn't punishing us for leaving.
Our punishment, self-inflicted, is the direct consequence of having decided to leave.
But the EU isn't punishing us for leaving.
Our punishment, self-inflicted, is the direct consequence of having decided to leave.
The other key thing is this: many (most?) of the items on the list don't translate directly into pounds and pence. But all have value.
So any narrative that says "we don't get back as much as we put in" that ignores everything without a specific pricetag on it is an absurd lie.
So any narrative that says "we don't get back as much as we put in" that ignores everything without a specific pricetag on it is an absurd lie.
If you found this thread interesting, please take a look at my book on the way out.
"Slaying Brexit Unicorns" busts two dozen persistent myths, and digs into the truth of no deal, and trade on WTO terms.
Available for Kindle, and in paperback... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Z1FTRQW/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=bre3-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5bc2de1ee25940e991b9b24138ffddaf&camp=1634&creative=6738
"Slaying Brexit Unicorns" busts two dozen persistent myths, and digs into the truth of no deal, and trade on WTO terms.
Available for Kindle, and in paperback... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Z1FTRQW/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=bre3-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5bc2de1ee25940e991b9b24138ffddaf&camp=1634&creative=6738
