what is the EU budget spent on?

[HeadFairy]

I'm totally clueless, I know the EU funds lots of development projects in other member states (Spanish motorways were almost entirely built with EU money), but is that it? Oh yeah, of course there's the huge salaries and perks to MEPs, but what else?

I'm not some raving UKIP person by the way, just genuinely clueless!

Development projects are a big chunk of the budget - improving economic prospects, jobs, training, infrastructure, environment. Ireland did very well out of EU money in recent years, for example. The aim is to narrow the gap between rich and poor nations... leads to a stronger trading body to compete in global markets, less conflict and lower levels of economic migration. Agricultural/fishing incentives and subsidies are another big portion of the budget. The EU invests outside the EU zone in developing nations that border it. Administration (such as MEP salaries and other running costs) is about 6% of the total budget.

thanks for that chil.... I did think it was a bit of a right wing press fallacy that huge chunks of the European budget went on Peter Mandelson's cars :o

The agricultural subsidy system is much more contentious & expensive than a few posh cars, to be honest. Encourages inefficient 'paysan' farming practices such as the ones popular in rural France.. but any suggestion that they should be reduced or withdrawn results in horrendous strikes and fires in the streets

I think the EU is one huge self serving gravy train. It is politicians growing their own spheres of influence and charging for it. They have never had their accounts signed off since god knows when. In fact when one of their senior people tried to inform about the discrepancies, the commissioner, a certain Neil Kinnock, sacked her.

It is said on the one hand that we need it as a trading partner, yet on the other we are told that the UK hardly manufactures anything. As far as I can see, the only thing the EU has done is to decimate our fish stocks and give anybody there carte blanche to come in.

junkets

We do more than 50% of out trade with other EU countries so withdrawing from it would be madness and would further increase our trade deficit.

Given the speed of globalisation and the economic growth that developing countries are experiencing our status as a country in the world is dwindling. By being in the EU we are part of the most powerful economic block in the world and so are given a higher status.

I agree with Huddspur leaving the EU would be a disaster economically and diplomatically

We can still trade with europe and do not need to be in the EU, as does Switzerland.

Words for EU. Corrupt, unelected, faceless, gravy train, fraud.

Sorry more Words.... EU accounts chief,Marta Andreasen, tells of massive potential fraud in the EU. = her getting the sack!

Oh yes the EU did loan the unbiased BBC £140. million of taxpayers money.

That was one of their 'projects' oh and they did 'do the beach up' at Great Yarmouth.