The CBI wants to stay in EU. The CBI, which represents the bigger corporatioms and employers in Britain, has just published a report rejecting the idea put forward by Eurosceptics and bar room bull-shitters that Britain should leave the EU but stay in the Single Market. The report is summarised in this two-and-a-half minute video:
It is clear that the CBI wants continued free access to the Single European Market and to do this on the best conditions thinks Britain should stay in the EU so as to have a say in decisions about it, which Norway and Switzerland don't have despite having negotiated access to it. The CBI must be worried that xenophobic politicians with their talk of an in-out referendum are playing with fire and might have to withdraw Britain from the EU when this is not in the best interest of the dominant section of the British capitalist class. As Norwegian Conservative MP, Nikolai Astrup pointed out “If you want to run Europe, you must be in Europe. If you want to be run by Europe, feel free to join Norway in the European Economic Area.”
There is a little known fact in the report. Norway has to pay to have access to the Single Market. The report explains:
“Norway is part of the single market, without being an EU member, via the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. The Agreement provides access to the single market through the inclusion in national law of EU legislation covering goods, services and capital, as well as the free movement of people. In theory, Norway has equal access rights to any EU Member State. Several areas are not covered by the agreement including trade negotiations, agriculture and fisheries policies, justice and home affairs. EEA members still pay contributions to the EU, with Norway paying 100 EUR per capita, well over half of the UK’s contributions as a full member (180 EUR)."
This was elaborated on in an article in yesterday's Times by CBI Director-General John Cridland in which he said that Norway pays the EU “about 600 million euros a year, making it the tenth highest contributor to the EU, paying more than half the amount that the UK pays per person just to be allowed to follow EU rules as a non-member."
It is difficult to imagine that UKIP would be content with such an arrangement despite their view that Britain should adopt the same policy as Norway. The CBI, on the other hand, has taken on board the point made by the Norwegian MP, with Cridland quoting it with approval in his article
The CBI problem is that many politicians and voters have not and may vote against it.
Adam Buick
It is clear that the CBI wants continued free access to the Single European Market and to do this on the best conditions thinks Britain should stay in the EU so as to have a say in decisions about it, which Norway and Switzerland don't have despite having negotiated access to it. The CBI must be worried that xenophobic politicians with their talk of an in-out referendum are playing with fire and might have to withdraw Britain from the EU when this is not in the best interest of the dominant section of the British capitalist class. As Norwegian Conservative MP, Nikolai Astrup pointed out “If you want to run Europe, you must be in Europe. If you want to be run by Europe, feel free to join Norway in the European Economic Area.”
There is a little known fact in the report. Norway has to pay to have access to the Single Market. The report explains:
“Norway is part of the single market, without being an EU member, via the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. The Agreement provides access to the single market through the inclusion in national law of EU legislation covering goods, services and capital, as well as the free movement of people. In theory, Norway has equal access rights to any EU Member State. Several areas are not covered by the agreement including trade negotiations, agriculture and fisheries policies, justice and home affairs. EEA members still pay contributions to the EU, with Norway paying 100 EUR per capita, well over half of the UK’s contributions as a full member (180 EUR)."
This was elaborated on in an article in yesterday's Times by CBI Director-General John Cridland in which he said that Norway pays the EU “about 600 million euros a year, making it the tenth highest contributor to the EU, paying more than half the amount that the UK pays per person just to be allowed to follow EU rules as a non-member."
It is difficult to imagine that UKIP would be content with such an arrangement despite their view that Britain should adopt the same policy as Norway. The CBI, on the other hand, has taken on board the point made by the Norwegian MP, with Cridland quoting it with approval in his article
The CBI problem is that many politicians and voters have not and may vote against it.
Adam Buick
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