Europe on the doorstep

'The EU only serves the interests of a European elite hell bent on creating a superstate.'

The EU has two central purposes:

- to entrench human rights and democracy and ensure that Europe's history of bloodshed is over forever: 60 years of success

- to give small and medium countries power over global problems that affect them.

The sovereignty of the nation state is being increasingly eroded by globalisation, multinational corporations, international capital flows, the internet, the speed of modern transport and communications.

The EU is a way of regaining the capacity to make choices by exercising sovereignty more effectively together (pooling it) with other states, in areas that national parliaments cannot otherwise influence.

The push for an 'ever-bigger Brussels' has gone. We need an EU which is effective in specific but defined fields. The new constitution will set limits as well as empower the EU to act in areas crucial for our security.

Britain's voice in international affairs is much stronger when negotiating as part of an EU team, for example in the field of international trade or climate change.

The Single Market gives access to a broad range of products at competitive prices and guarantees minimum standards of consumer protection across the EU. European rules guarantee quality standards for food and other products.

The Charter of fundamental rights is a declaration that brings together all the rights that EU citizens currently enjoy. It will be incorporated in the new constitution if approved.

'Britain would be better off outside the EU, just look at Norway or Switzerland.'

Norway and Switzerland are indeed prosperous countries that are outside the EU. But they still have to accept EU regulations without having any influence in the decision-making process. Membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) outside the EU, as advocated by some Eurosceptics adds up to legislation without representation. We should never exchange an illusion of sovereignty for the reality of power.

'Britain should join NAFTA and have free trade with the like-minded English-speaking countries of North America'

NAFTA membership would disregard the facts of geography and trade flows (over 50% of our exports go to elsewhere within the EU). It would provide minimal benefits in duty-free access to North America, and could cost exporters dearly in extra tariffs on goods sold in the EU.

Europe: a bureaucratic and undemocratic dictator?

'Britain has no say in decisions taken by 'Brussels''

As one of the largest Member States of the European Union, the United Kingdom has considerable influence in the running of Europe and the formation of European policies and legislation. However, successive British governments have failed to make proper use of this potential to shape the EU.

Power is exercised in the 2 law-making bodies, the Council of Ministers (representing governments) and the European Parliament (directly elected to represent the 450 million citizens). The EU's executive, the European Commission which is sometimes denigrated as the 'Brussels bureaucrats', proposes but does not decide on laws, and implements them once passed.

'European law takes away the rights of British people under our own laws. Only Britain applies the EU rules. We should break them like everyone else.'

The legal framework of the European Union serves to protect the rights of British and other European citizens under European law. Britain does not stand out for applying EU law: several countries are more conscientious. We gain from the proper application of EU law, and should not wilfully break undertakings we have entered into.

'France banned our beef and if we had been outside the EU we would still have been able to export it.'

We had no recourse against numerous non-European countries, including Commonwealth ones, which banned our beef. In contrast, EU membership and 'common market' rules ensured not only that most EU countries continued to accept our beef but also forced open the French market. The European Commission's threat of legal action made the French government lift the ban on British beef in October 2002. The EU also provided compensation for the costs of taking older beef out of the food chain.

'The EU is forcing Britain to change to metric measures, and is imposing criminal penalties on metric martyrs like Steve Thoburn. This is a terrible attack on our ancient liberties'

The UK has been in the process of switching from the old imperial system of measurements for over a hundred years. The EU directive does not ban imperial measures, but allows traders to carry on using it as long as metric is used as well.

'Brussels produces thousands of regulations which are imposed on British business/citizens every year.'

The sum total of regulations or directives applicable in the EU has stayed broadly constant. The number of new regulations adopted by the EU is on average almost exactly the same as the number which have expired or been repealed.

'That the EU has a huge budget'

The EU budget is about one fortieth of total public spending by all levels of government in the EU. It amounts to 1.04% of EU 'gross domestic product' (output) 2002, compared to almost 40% of GDP spent by all levels of government together in the UK.

'Fraud is rife in the European Union budget. Even the European Court of Auditors admits this, because the accounts have not been approved for years.'

The European Commission has certainly been too slow in making improvements in budget control, but the European Court of Auditors has said that it is improving, and that the latest year's accounts do indeed represent a broadly fair picture of spending. There remains however a large problem with EU funds controlled at national level, by Member State governments. The process of improvement has been too slow and the Lib Dems have pressed hard for more rapid improvement.

'The European Union is a bloated bureaucracy employing huge numbers of overpaid staff.'

All the European institutions combined employ fewer people than many British town halls. Gordon Brown added more people to the British civil service in just one year to April 2003 than the entire staff in post of the EU Commission.

'The UK pays billions into the EU budget and receives virtually nothing in return.'

Whilst the UK is classified as a 'net contributor' to the EU budget, Germany, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands all make bigger net contributions than the UK (as a proportion of national wealth). The economic benefits are more than seven times the cost of EU membership.

'The Common Agricultural Policy is a huge waste of money which results in butter mountains and wine lakes. Agriculture has never been reformed. It is a permanent disaster area.'

The original design of the Common Agricultural Policy was very bad news, due to the absence of Britain from early EU membership. CAP reform in the summer of 2003 was a real breakthrough after many years of slow progress. It will remove the link between subsidy and over-production. However, Liberal Democrats are working for further reform to meet environmental objectives and stop protectionism and subsidies which harm Third World country exports (eg sugar) .

'The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has destroyed the British fishing industry.'

When we joined the EU our fishery limits extended out only 12 miles. Most of the waters now within our UK sphere were previously international waters.

That said, Britain would not have negotiated the CFP if we had been members, because it shares out the seas as a common resource (unlike other resources). It was a price we paid for joining the EU late. However, many of the CFP rules would be necessary anyway to prevent over-fishing of British and other fish stocks.

The infamous Spanish quota-hopping only occurs because British fishermen voluntarily sell their quotas. They are not forced to by 'Brussels', but do it to make a profit.

'The EU is flooding Britain with asylum seekers and immigrants'

EU national governments remain responsible for deciding who gets entry to their state as new refugees and non-European immigrants. But EU-wide rules are being developed on acceptance of asylum seekers from outside the EU to ensure fair respect of international commitments and fair sharing of responsibility.

There are no asylum-seekers from EU member states, since members all respect the same democratic and human rights criteria. But the basic principle of the EU is that European citizens are free to go and live and work in another EU country, the rule which enables many Brits to move to Spain or France. The recent tabloid hysteria over people moving from Eastern Europe was unwarranted; only a small proportion are likely to move.

'MEPs are just there to line their own pockets. What impact do you have on the world?'

The British Liberal Democrats are part of the group - the European Liberal Democrats - that holds the balance between left and right in the European Parliament. Most EU law can now only be passed if Parliament agrees, and the Lib Dems often deliver key changes. MEPs also take up many individual problems that constituents face in Europe - Sarah Ludford campaigned successfully to free the British planespotters jailed for spying in Greece.

British MEPs are paid the same as British UK MPs. The 25 European Commissioners are paid roughly the same as UK cabinet ministers. Liberal Democrats are in the forefront of campaigning for reform of MEP travel expenses to make them entirely cost-related.

Making Europe work for you

'The Liberal Democrats are just in favour of everything that moves in Brussels.'

The Liberal Democrats want a Europe that is diverse, democratic and decentralised with decisions taken at the most local effective level. We are pro-Europe but clear about the limits of the EU, and firm on its failings.

'The draft EU Constitution would be another gigantic leap towards the creation of a European superstate'.

The constitutional treaty pulls together the existing treaties into a single, clear document, setting out precisely what the EU can and can't do. By defining where power is exercised, it protects NOT diminishes national sovereignty.

It increases the power of the democratically elected Parliament, provides a stronger role for national Parliaments and increases the openness and accountability of the European Council, requiring Prime Ministers to meet in public when passing legislation.

'EU Enlargement will cost Britain a fortune and bring nothing in return.'