The
centralisation of power in the European Union continues apace. Last
week, the Bruges Group and the Dutch libertarian website
Free-Europe.org exposed the policies that the EU wants to force on
Europe over the coming year. These latest EU power grabs are the
challenges that we must face in 2009 and are coming regardless of the
fact that the EU Constitution (a.k.a. Lisbon Treaty) has been rejected
in three referenda and has not been ratified. These plans include
adding more costs onto business; more EU control over financial
services; EU oversight of the nuclear industry; more EU control over
energy policy; complete EU control over asylum and immigration; even
more EU threats to consumer rights; more EU control over transport;
more EU control over justice and home affairs; and more EU involvement
in health and education.
ADDING MORE COSTS ONTO BUSINESS
More uncompetitive social model economic policies.
The
EU plans to step-up its legislative agenda for a more ‘social’ Europe.
The European Commission is increasingly pushing for the agenda which it
describes as ‘European values’ (as opposed to Anglo-saxon values) as
powerful evidence of the EU’s commitment to the ‘social dimension.’
These policy proposals will make the economy of the EU even more
uncompetitive in the global economy; and gives the lie to the claim
that Europe is coming our way.
EU to further undermine flexible labour markets.
Trade
union power to be expanded. The establishment of European Works
Councils will enhance the power of trade unions and will mean employers
shall be further hamstrung by EU law. This will make the EU less
attractive to investors and drive jobs out of Britain to more adaptable
labour markets, particularly those in Asia. This policy proposal comes
on top Article 138 of the EC Treaty which lays down that the EU must
consult with ‘social partners’ (trade unions) when making social law.
More EU undermining of the free market.
EU
to further tie Britain’s hands in the area of social policy. The EU via
Articles 136, 137, 140 and 144 of the EC Treaty has the power to force
the UK to implement social measures. The EU wishes to expand its power
here and produce more costly policies in the fields of social services,
social security, housing and health care. Here the European Commission
reaffirms its commitment to make social policy issues the cornerstone
and aim of all EU law making; leaving the elected British government
with not very much to do in that important area.
EU plans to take over the fight against poverty.
EU
proposals will see it force upon the UK its approach to tackling
poverty. In the UK the issue on how best to tackle poverty and social
exclusion has become an important debate; with different approaches and
strategies emerging from the two main political parties. However, this
debate in the UK will become less relevant as the EU plans to expand
its power into this field. The European Commission is proposing that:
(1) it can begin dictating strategies for tacking poverty; and (2) that
member states must create a National Implementation Body to apply the
EU’s plans; alongside that body should be National Advisory Group.
Further EU control over the work life balance.
EU
plans changes to social security and leave from work. The European
Union is intending to produce more laws to enforce its views on the
work life balance. The proposed rules will see maternity leave, for
both spouses and ‘life-partners’ increased. The spouses and
‘life-partners’ will also be able to gain more access to social
security. These measures will add more costs onto businesses and the
taxpayer at a crucial time when they simply cannot be afforded.
MORE EU CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
EU control over tackling the financial crisis.
The
European Commission is reinforcing its control over how the UK can
handle the economic crisis. The EU is bolstering its rules on how and
when state aid can be used to include how rescuing and restructuring
proposals are applied, managed and targeted. This means that there is
not full UK democratic control over how financial institutions are
rescued.
EU control over electronic pre-payment products.
Schemes
which involve pre-payment shall be taken under EU Control. This may
mean that the UK’s Oyster card scheme will in future be regulated by
the European Commission.
THE EU AND THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
EU control over the management of nuclear fuel.
EU
proposals seek to force the UK to store nuclear waste underground;
rather than reprocessing the spent fuel. Britain may be forced to adopt
the policy of geological storage of nuclear waste. This policy will
undermine Britain’s reprocessing industry in favour of French style
disposal of spent nuclear fuel. It will also lead to more EU control
over Britain’s energy policy.
More EU control over nuclear power.
Nuclear
security and safety will come further under the control of the EU.
Instead of being under the democratic control of the British
government; it is proposed that the EU will take more power over the
nuclear industry.
MORE EU CONTROL OVER ENERGY POLICY
EU control over the response to high oil prices.
The
EU is seeking to govern how the UK can respond to increased fuel
prices. The European Commission is against the cutting of taxes on fuel
to offset high oil prices because they feel that this would ‘send the
wrong signal’. Therefore, the EU wants member states to redistribute
income, in particular to vulnerable groups who may be suffering from
higher fuel costs, rather than reduce the price of fuel through the tax
regime. OPEC has recently announced a cut-back in production to again
force up the cost of oil. Yet, these proposals will limit the freedom
of movement of the British government to respond to future fuel shocks.
EU CONTROL OVER ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION
Full EU control over immigration.
The
European Commission is re-doubling its efforts to develop a common
immigration policy. The EU already has extensive powers over Britain’s
immigration rules, but now wants to expand these powers. The European
Union aims to take over the coordination of immigration; promote legal
immigration into the UK; control the fight against illegal immigration;
manage the security issues which arise from immigration; and
importantly the EU also wants to control how integration is handled.
The EU also aims to beef-up the powers of FRONTEX, its border agency,
to implement the EU’s policies.
The EU's asylum policies.
The
EU aims to create the completion of a Common European Asylum System.
The EU already controls the minimum standards for the treatment of
asylum seekers, the minimum rules for granting and withdrawing refugee
status and the minimum standards for granting temporary protection. The
EU also controls the database recording asylum seekers details. Now it
wishes to grab more power which will allow the EU to establish a
European Support Office to further control the policies of member
states; to determine who is a refugee allowing the EU to decide who
should enter the UK; to make asylum more accessiblegrant more rights to
those who qualify for subsidiary protection; to make the system more
responsive to gender and other ‘vulnerable groups’; and to create a
single procedure across all EU member states, which will undermine the
independence of the UK’s legal system in that area. The EU also wants
to give refugees easier access to the labour market. This is bound to
increase the number of fraudulent asylum applications and increase
economic migration making unemployment in Britain even higher.
AN EU THREAT TO CONSUMER RIGHTS
More EU control over contract law.
Under
EU proposals the right of British consumers to reject defective goods
and products that are of unsuitable quality and get their money back
will be abolished. Furthermore, the consumer would lose their right to
decide whether sub-standard merchandise should be repaired or replaced;
instead the EU wants this prerogative to be given to the trader. This
will reduce the power of the consumer.
MORE EU CONTROL OVER TRANSPORT
EU Control over charges placed on heavy good vehicles.
The
EU wishes to control how and when ‘green’ stealth taxes are placed on
heavy goods vehicles. The Levying of tolls and congestion charges will
be coming under the control of EU rules. Such charges will have to be
made according to a complex methodology decided in Brussels. The EU
proposals will add costs onto Britain’s haulage industry for little, or
no, environmental benefit. As this is in effect a stealth tax it shows
that the tax ‘redline’ is little more than a myth. The proposals will
also allow the EU to further define which routes are to be considered
Trans-European Road Networks.
EU Control over car tyres.
EU
to place more costs onto the car industry and drivers. The EU is to
change the type of tyres that cars can have. It is also proposing to
make it mandatory for all cars to have tyre pressure monitoring systems
installed. The costs of the draft regulation are expected to be around
€200 million.
EU to place costs on public sector transport.
Under
EU proposals the procurement of transport by the public sector will
have to be based on the amount of CO2 the vehicle emits. The European
Union’s obsession with carbon dioxide will place more costs on the
public sector, public transport and in particular local government;
which may have to bear costs in the hundreds of millions as a result of
EU proposals.
More EU control over aviation safety.
European
Union proposals seek to take more power over the safety of airports,
air traffic management and air navigation services. The EU has already
established a European Aviation Safety Agency, and now wants to
increase its powers to run Britain’s airports.
MORE EU CONTROL OVER JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
EU to take powers over the fight against drugs.
The
European Union is proposing to control how Britain tackles drug use.
The aim of the EU is to take the powers to decide how to reduce the
demand for drugs, reduce their supply and direct international
cooperation in the fight against drugs. This will mean that the EU will
take over Britain’s right to advocate its independent position at
international meetings in particular the UN Committee on Narcotic Drugs.
The
EU’s plans will specifically grant it the power to establish control
over (1) policies relating to asset recovery and confiscation; (2) to
expand the powers of Europol’s Criminal Assets Bureau; (3)
intelligence-led policing and control over intelligence databases; (4)
strategic planning against future drug threats; and (5) the treatment
of drug use.
EU control over criminal records databases.
The
EU proposes to take control over national databases of criminal
convictions. The EU will take possession of the criminal records
databases of each member states. And will determine the encryption
system and software when sharing the information with other EU member
states.
More power for the European Court of Justice.
The
ECJ is set to gain more power over issues relating to visas,
immigration, asylum, and powers to escalate judicial cooperation in
civil matters. It is proposed to allow all courts the right to appeal
directly to the European Court of Justice. This shall mean that its
decisions, often politically motivated, are more likely to reach into a
greater number of legal cases; bypassing much of the British legal
system.
MORE EU INVOLVEMENT IN HEALTH AND EDUCATION
EU control over training and vocational education.
EU
proposals will see it managing training and burdening this area with
red tape. The EU will govern vocational education and training by
establishing the criteria and indicators by which it is managed and
judged. The policy will also see the EU control the evaluation of
investment in the training of teachers and trainers. Surely it is the
nation states that should be deciding the skills they want to promote
in their own country and how best to teach them.
You can see even more detail over at www.free-europe.org/EU-plans-2009/.
Hattip Vincent De Roeck at Libertarian.be
SEVEN OUT OF TEN BRITISH
VOTERS WANT REFERENDUM ON E.U. MEMBERSHIP
· European Union seen as out of touch, unfair,
and poor value for money
· Eighty three per cent say British law should
be paramount
· Majority say UK politicians “don’t do enough
to stand up for Britain”
The overwhelming majority
of Britons want a referendum on whether the UK stays in the European Union.
A new poll by ComRes,
commissioned by the Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB), shows support for
the EU at rock-bottom.
Most voters are deeply
unhappy about the way the European Union is run, and believe it is out of touch,
unfair, and offers poor value for money.
TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
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