By Dimitrios Rentzos – Esher and Walton for EUrope
EU = Co-operation.
What does it mean to be in the EU? A lot of lists in the various pro EU sites exist, sometimes in the form of ‘What has the EU ever done for us?’. The benefits listed can range from the absence of roaming charges to the Erasmus program to the ease of travel or the simplified exporting processes. The benefits are too many to list here and there are many excellent sites that do that. But the impact of being in the EU is not just through those specific very important benefits. You do not need to decide to travel to a European company to realise EU membership benefits. You do not need to decide to open a company that you want it to export European countries to realise the benefits of EU membership.
It starts in the morning when you wake up next to your phone charger. It is safe thanks to regulation ΕΝ 62684 of CENELEC, (the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) on phone chargers’ safety. Also due to EN 50360 that ensures safety of wireless devices. In fact GSM (the Global System for Mobile Communications) itself was developed in the 80s by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and adopted by 90% of worldwide mobile communications1.
And off course it goes much deeper that that. The fact that you can after waking up, pop to the Super market with the knowledge that you will find anything you want at any time at reasonable prices can to a large degree attributed to the European Union, i.e. the fact that the European countries have decided to co-operate together in a number of areas. Note: Today is October 2nd 2021 – 9 months after we left the EU completely and my 2 nearest gas stations are out of petrol, my local supermarket was out of chicken and peppers and the medicine the GP prescribed for my daughter’s skin condition is not available anywhere in the country.
Obviously it goes even deeper that that. The fact that you can wake up safely pop to the super market without the fear or memory of a war (with the exception of some of our olderBirtish citizens) is again to a large degree thanks to the European Union, i.e. the fact that the European countries have decided to co-operate together in a number of areas.
What is the simplest way to describe what it is to be in the EU? I will use 2 pictures to demonstrate it:
1) Open borders. Open borders for people and goods (and services/capital).
What you see here is the border between Germany and France. The picture is taken from France looking into Germany. Note that the border is invisible. As a reminder,below are only some of the wars that were fought over this border:
- The Thirty Years War (1618–1648)
- War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714)
- The Napoleonic Wars (1801-1815)
- The Franco-Prussian War (1870)
- The first World War (1914-1918)
- The second World War (1939-1945)
Similar pictures can be taken between any border of the 27 EU members. The free movement of people is beneficial for the economy and companies as they have a greater pool of potential employees, it is beneficial for citizens as they have the chance to work or study or retire in a number of countries. Finally it culturally enriches all countries.
2) Democratic Co-operation
This picture is the best way to describe how the EU works. It pictures the 27 democratic elected leaders (the meeting happened behind closed doors where not even any aides of the prime ministers/presidents allowed) of the 27 EU member states in the meeting when they were deciding on the date of Brexit2. 27 democratic elected leaders, that realise that is in everyone’s interest to work together, to come up to a common strategy and in which everyone has the right to veto – therefore the solution must be acceptable to all. Millions of people died in order to get to this stage.
The formation and existence of the of EU is in fact a small revolution that has been taking place around us over the last 70 years. The EU model has been such success that in fact it is I believe the solution to many areas around the world that have been plagued by years of conflict.
Unfortunately, those benefits were taken for granted and it may be that only by losing them will people in Britain start to realise their value again.
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