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What has Europe done for you?
Consumers
1. Right to travel, live or retire anywhere within EU (200,000 British pensioners do).
2. Clear and informative product labelling on foods e.g. Ingredients, additives or GM traces.
3. Fixed EU wide consumer product safety standards on most goods from children's toys to machine tools.
4. EU deregulation has introduced more competition bringing cheaper flights and cheaper utility bills.
5. EU legislation protects consumer rights from unscrupulous salesmen by providing mandatory cooling off periods on door step sales or timeshare purchases.
6. EU legislation requires airlines and travel companies to pay compensation to travellers if they are denied boarding or were misled by advertising.
7. EU laws provide for free healthcare with E111 form whilst travelling to any European country.
8. UK citizens may seek medical treatment in another EU country and bill NHS if waiting lists are too long here.
Business
1. Tariff free access to the world's largest market of 455m people.
2. EU eliminated red tape of customs administration for cross-border trade - now only one set of documents required instead of 25.
3. EU standards committees have agreed common product safety standards eliminating the need for separate national testing and certification.
4. EU has opened up the right to bid for lucrative public service contracts to any EU company.
5. Anyone may set up in business anywhere in EU.
6. EU business info centres connect enterprises and enable joint ventures.
7. EU funds promote and support centres of excellence, research and entrepreneurship.
8. The Single Currency allows businesses in 12 EU countries to trade more easily and without uncertainty of fluctuating or unstable exchange rates.
Workers
1. EU established right to work and claim social security anywhere in EU (100,000 Britons do).
2. EU laws prohibit discrimination on grounds of age, sex, ethnic origin or religious belief.
3. Mothers have an automatic right to maternity leave after giving birth. Fathers may also benefit too.
4. Part-time workers can claim same rights as full-time workers.
5. EU has set minimum standards for daily rest periods and holidays.
6. EU has agreed high safety standards in the workplace to reduce accidents and deaths.
7. Over 63% of North West goods are exported to the EU and 400,000 jobs depend on them.
8. Large companies are now required to consult with representatives of the workforce before taking big decisions that would affect them.
Environment
1. UK receives Euro 10bn of EU funding between 2000-2006 to improve infrastructure, protect the environment or provide training.
2. By acting together the EU carries more influence in global climate change negotiations than Britain acting alone.
3. EU set tough targets to meet commitments to cut carbon and sulphur emissions by 2008.
4. EU rules prohibit discharge of toxic substances into water courses and rivers.
5. EU rules have raised the quality of our coastal bathing waters (Blue flag).
6. EU rules require the Government to designate and protect special natural habitats for future generations.
7. EU laws required the phasing out of leaded petrol and use of catalytic converters on cars.
8. EU rules will ban testing of cosmetics on animals.
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