Anthea McIntyre, the West Midlands representative of the Conservative Party in European Parliament visited Salop Design & Engineering to discuss the implications of Britain leaving the European Union (EU).
Richard Sheehan from the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce surveyed members to voice their opinions on the UKs involvement with Europe. The first topic raised by the Chamber was to learn how fellow MEPs view the action of the UK to seek a referendum.
McIntyre responded: I think the feeling within the other countries in Europe is they very much want us to stay, so frankly they would prefer not to have a referendum, because they dont want to have a risk of us leaving. On the other hand, they also understand where were coming from in wanting to reduce the burden of red tape.
In reflection, fellow MEPs understand that Britain is tired of being bound by the excessive regulations and conformity of the European Union. The idea of red tape encapsulates the feeling of the vast majority opposed to the EU. The concept of Britain needing a committee to make rules and regulations creates a lack of individuality within the voting system, as voting will cater to the interests of the majority.
McIntyre continued: They see us as being able to help them achieve what they want. The Eastern Europeans want to keep us to help them in making Europe work better and from that point of view I think that Britain has quite a good reputation. We are net contributors to Europe, it's the trade and the expertise we can provide, so I think that they understand why were wanting a referendum.
Britains trade with the EU covers roughly 45% of our imports and exports. However, Britain is only around 10% of the trade amongst other EU countries. This lack of correlation proves that the British economy is relatively small to the European powerhouses. With a place in the EU, Britain still has a place in negotiating trade regulations and if we were to leave, it would be difficult to say how EU regulations would affect us.
Sheehan responded to the implications of trade loss by asking: What would be seen as a major risk to UK business for a vote to leave the EU?
In response, McIntyre said: The biggest risk would be the loss of the Single Market, we have a market of 500 million people in the EU. Before we were part of Europe, if you wanted to pay for a lorry load of goods from Birmingham to Barcelona there were over 80 forms that you had to fill in. Now, there are only two. To those of you who export outside the EU, you will understand the complexity.
The Single Market refers to the EU as one territory without any internal borders or regulatory obstacles to the free movement of goods and services. Clearly, Britains exporting businesses would suffer a huge loss if we were to leave the EU, purely due to the simplicity of the single market. Norway are a passive receiver to the EU and make an annual contribution in return for access to the Single Market. Between, 2009 and 2014, Norway is estimated to have spent 1.8bn on access. The single market helps to stimulate competition and trade, by improving efficiency, quality and help cut prices.
McIntyre made a wealth of valid points as to how the EU actually provides Britain with a range of benefits in business. Leaving the single market would prove to be a huge block to any company intending to export goods across the EU. However, the EU is far too complex an issue to gather an opinion from one discussion. Therefore, the EU debate continues depending on the variance of individual interests.