What's good about the EU, and what's not good? And most importantly...

[BercowsFlyingFlamingo]

...what impact do these things have on your life?

I don't want to get into a leave v remain debate, I'm interested to know what people think are the good points and not so good points of the EU regardless of how you voted. In fact, you don't need to say how you voted.

My own knowledge of the EU was very limited I'm ashamed to say until I joined mumsnet and started doing a lot of googling.

From my own limited knowledge I was aware of the EU working time directive which I signed to opt out of as a nurse and wish I hadn't as finishing work at 9.15pm and being back there at 7am wasn't fun. I was aware of fantastic research between UK and EU universities, medical research, university and medical staff giving us the benefit of their experience and expertise, cleaner beaches, safety standards (although I like the kite mark of old), food standards (I was pissed off that the EU wouldn't allow proper Mountain Dew to be sold here), and probably a few others. Not much really.

Growing up I'd heard complaints of "red tape" but nothing as to what this was. Complaints of Europe making us sell things in grams and kilos. The infamous bendy bananas and imperfect fruit and veg. I didn't pay much attention to these though.

I've discovered far more in the last year, since I became interested in politics, and doubt I'm the only one who had such limited knowledge hence my interest in finding out what others think the EU is all about.

As a trading bloc of nations the EU has more clout to negotiate trade deals and insist on higher food standards.

Being part of the EU means I don't have to pay extra import duties on goods I order from abroad like I do if I want to shop from US sites for instance.

FOM has been very good for me. It allowed me to move abroad with very little cash, find a job without having to pay for a Visa or health insurance.

I should have added there that I fully appreciate brominated vegetable oil (the reason why Mountain Dew is banned in its original form) is not a good thing and the EU are quite right to ban it. We do have Mountain Dew energy which is passable if I get a craving.
I also know the story behind the bananas so in summary I don't know of anything the EU does that has a negative effect on my life.

When I say EU I am including us (The UK) as part of that. I don't think it's helpful to other the EU as though it's a separate entity that we are not part of and have no say in.

I will give 3 on each side

Pros
Ease of passage of goods tarrifs are easier for business to deal with
Ease of travel for us
Health care while abroad is simple and free in most cases.
Cons
Animals are not kept in a way I consider humane both in farming zoos and laboratories. This varies from countries but on the whole very cruel compared to uk.
The euro has made everything expensive compared to before when travelling it was easier to go somewhere and get good prices.
Stubborn and unwilling to change or adapt.

Ok..I can do an alphabetical list but I'll start with an important one.

J is for Jobs

Our link to the EU fostered millions of jobs. Both from the ability to work in other EU countries but also huge international companies basing themselves in the U.K. as a gateway to the EU.Many such businesses are now reducing, rationalising and leaving.

See the list of businesses in one sector alone already quitting on the attached link.

industry~leaving

That should have read inhuman

A - this is both for Academic collaboration and Aviation.

Academic collaboration and funding.

£500 million plus of academic funding per year lost due to Brexit. Huge losses to UK research. Science projects today can only be sustained internationally. Research has globalised. For example the Hadron Collider was only possible through international collaboration.

UK science had received increasing levels of European Union resources. Almost €1.4 billion given since 2014.Since 2007 we won disproportionately more -almost 1,400 of more than 5,000 grants from the European Research Council, came to us -receiving 22% of allocated funds.

So many achievements possible eg 3D imaging for regenerative medicine and understanding of proto-galaxies to the latest advances in nano-science.That is all gone.

+Air travel-easier, cheaper,safer.

lonelyplanetmum- very true! UK universities were very good at winning EU funding and consequentially being at the cutting edge of research in many fields. As an employee of an EU university outside the UK I guess I should see that as a plus that we will no longer be competing with the UK for funding!

lonelyplanetmum oooh a whole alphabet-keep them coming! I love learning new stuff is H for health and M for medicine?

It means I got to move to a different country with minimal redtape. I got to vote in local and EU elections from day 1 rather thsn waiting 3 years like non eu citizens.

Capped mobile phone charges.

Just thinking, maybe I should have posted this is chat instead of brexit for a wider view.

B** is for beaches and bacteria

Beaches and rivers

Contrary to the ERG and Faragist spin we only ever had limited shared powers with the EU. However an important area is regarding the environment. The EU hugely contributed to improved cleaner and safer coastal regions.

From Brighton to Blackpool beaches that failed tests for faecal bacteria in 1988 are now rated as excellent thanks to EY initiatives.

EU~beaches

Pros- Peace in Europe. Represetation at a supranational level to thrash out differences and express displeasure.

Cons- Lack of assurance that the rules are being followed to the letter in all regions in all member countries which can harbour feeling of distrust.

Frustration not distrust.

The EU meant that my sister has been able to travel all over Europe despite being reliant on dialysis. She was able to live in France for a year during university despite her health issues.

Personally, I've enjoyed having a wide variety of fresh food in the supermarkets for reasonable prices.

It has meant that DH was able to take a job with a German firm and travel to and from Germany for meetings with ease.

On an emotional level, I'm grateful for the EU's contribution to peace in Europe and for being part of something bigger in cultural terms, than "just" the UK.

C for stupid rules on cookies.

M for equally stupid and ineffective tick box rules on money laundering

A for audits, the EU doesn't think its accounts should be audited, and austerity doesn't apply to it

B for rules on blood donation - is this really something the EU should be mixing itself up in?

The good things - well everything else really. Protection of (some) employment rights, FOM, Erasmus and Horizon, consumer protection laws, and being European, rather than trying to suck up to the US all the time.

I was fully in favour and voted for the EEC, i.e. a trading bloc with free movement of goods, beneficial trade treaties etc.

Also, ease of movement of people, i.e. no need for visas etc when travelling on holiday or other short visits.

Unfortunately, I'm not in favour of what has morphed into the EU, i.e. free/unlimited movement of people, ECJ, closer political integration, single currency, proposals for Euro army, etc.

People say about the employment protection, etc., but we could have done that via our own Parliament anyway - there would have been nothing to stop, say 13 years of Labour government, enforcing better employment protection laws - it didn't need to be dictated by Europe.

I'd got back to the EEC days in a heartbeat. It's the creeping EU super state that the British public never voted for which has been stealthily imposed by a succession of Pro-EU British politicians without reference to the British voters. If the EU is so brilliant, why did the UK politicians not be open and honest and give the public a say via their party manifestos every GE??

M for equally stupid and ineffective tick box rules on money laundering

A classic example of EU inspired rules and red tape which spectacularly miss the target and drag huge numbers of "innocents" into unnnecessary, expensive and pointless bureaucracy.

A bit like the joke rules about getting a new number plate for you car, having to take your passport, registration documents etc. The criminal gangs will just buy their own printing machine - they're not going to try getting fake plates from Halfords are they?

What rules on cookies?

P Peace in NI made possible by the GFA and by NI and the ROI both being in the EU.

@madeyemoodysmum I am surprised about your comment about animal cruelty..... have a relation who works in research and her comment is that the EU's regs in this (not the UK's) are the most stringent in the world . Her role at times has been to monitor compliance with them.
They may not be perfect - but I think compared with the states and Asia - they would leave them for dead.

Can you explain the cookies and mo St laundering and how it affects you? I'm not aware of either rule.