Impact of the EU on the U.K. Flashcards
what is the impact of the European Union on British politics?
The impact of the EU is significant in trade, agriculture, business and the environment
it is less apparent in health and defence
EU government departments and local authorities implement EU laws while British courts enforce them
EU membership has contributed to the development of multilevel governance in the UK — decision-making authority has been transferred upwards from central government to the EU and downwards to devolved institutions and local government
IMPACT OF THE EU: agriculture and fisheries
what is the Common Agricultural Policy?
CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) is an EU system of agricultural subsidies and price interventions
farmers receive direct subsidies from the EU for producing crops or livestock
The EU intervenes to buy farm outputs if prices fall below an agreed level
the EU taxes agricultural imports and subsidies exports
IMPACT OF THE EU: agriculture and fisheries
why is CAP controversial?
CAP is controversial and has been difficult to reform given the support it enjoys from some states such as France
it is the largest area of EU expenditure, covering around 38% of the EU budget
in the UK, CAP is viewed as wasteful and bureaucratic
IMPACT OF THE EU: agriculture and fisheries
how does CAP affect British fisherman?
CAP sets quotas for the amount and types of fish that can be caught, it also sets minimum prices and rules for external trade
UK critics argue that by giving all European fishing fleets access to UK waters, British fisherman have been put out of business
Factortame case — demonstrates that EU laws have primacy over national law
IMPACT OF THE EU: social policy
EU social policy has focused on correcting perceived market failures (e.g. by protecting workers rights) and promoting employment
EU social policy has been controversial in the UK
John Major’s government opted out of the Maastricht Treaty’s social chapter but this ended when Labour took office in 1997
The UK is exempt from parts of the Working Time Directive — essentially, British workers can choose to work over 48 hours a week
trade unions fear that Brexit could weaken workers’ rights but employers have highlighted the costs of complying with EU regulations
IMPACT OF THE EU: public policy
every year the EU issues more than 12,000 regulations, directives and decisions
IMPACT OF THE EU: sovereignty
legal sovereignty concerns ultimate decision-making authority — eurosceptics argue that EU membership means a loss of sovereignty because EU law has primacy over national law
political sovereignty concerns the ability to exercise sovereignty as a political resource — on joining the EU, the UK pooled sovereignty and shared it with other EU states
IMPACT OF THE EU: EU budget
The UK is a net contributor to the EU budget, meaning it pays in more than it receives back — only Germany receives more
in 2015, the UK paid around £18 billion into the EU budget and got a rebate of £5 million and received back £4.4 billion in public sector income
this meant a net contribution of £8.5 billion which equates to 1.5% of public spending
by comparison, the UK spent £130 billion on health
of the money the UK receives back from the EU, £3 billion a year is from CAP and £1 billion is funding for poorer regions
the private sector also receives around £1 billion a year in EU research funding
The UK government will come under pressure to make up funding shortfalls after Brexit
