50. Products made or grown in the UK can be sold in 31 countries without type approval, customs duties, phytosanitary certificates or other costly red tape.
51. Strong, legally enforced food hygiene standards, including prohibitions on chlorinated chicken and GM crops.
51. Strong, legally enforced food hygiene standards, including prohibitions on chlorinated chicken and GM crops.
52. Objective 1 funding for deprived areas and regions.
53. Financial passporting, enabling firms in the City of London to provide services to clients all over the EU.
54. Legally enforced 14 day cooling-off period on new timeshare agreements.
53. Financial passporting, enabling firms in the City of London to provide services to clients all over the EU.
54. Legally enforced 14 day cooling-off period on new timeshare agreements.
55. Access to university education in other EU countries at the same rates their home students pay (many EU countries still offer free education)
56. Consular protection in countries outside of the EU from any EU embassy or consulate, if there's no UK embassy or consulate there.
56. Consular protection in countries outside of the EU from any EU embassy or consulate, if there's no UK embassy or consulate there.
57. Secure baseline of worker protections, including restrictions on maximum hours worked, maternity leave etc. (We are free to improve on these in domestic UK law any time we like - as indeed we already do in many instances - because they're a floor, not a ceiling.)
58. Protection against discriminatory treatment compared to local staff when working in other EU countries.
59. Minimum of 4 weeks of paid leave a year (introduced by EU in 1993, taken up by UK in 1998, and later extended to 28 days in 2009).
59. Minimum of 4 weeks of paid leave a year (introduced by EU in 1993, taken up by UK in 1998, and later extended to 28 days in 2009).
60. Right to land fish in EU ports (the EU buys more than half of all fish caught by UK fishermen).
61. Access to a willing seasonal workforce to pick our fruit and vegetables.
62. Ensure a vital supply of medicines (we import 37 million packs a month from the EU)
61. Access to a willing seasonal workforce to pick our fruit and vegetables.
62. Ensure a vital supply of medicines (we import 37 million packs a month from the EU)
63. Minimum 2 year guarantee on all consumer products, no matter which channel you bought them through (e.g. in a shop, online or via a catalogue).
64. A major say in the running of the EU, with MEPs representating the UK in the European Parliament, judges on the ECJ panel, etc.
64. A major say in the running of the EU, with MEPs representating the UK in the European Parliament, judges on the ECJ panel, etc.
65. A say in the setting of the EU budget and on determining the EU's priorities and focus.
66. More influence on environmental policy, since we would have a hand in shaping laws that governed 28 countries (pollution and carbon emissions don't stop neatly at borders).
66. More influence on environmental policy, since we would have a hand in shaping laws that governed 28 countries (pollution and carbon emissions don't stop neatly at borders).
67. Cleaner air backed by the EU Air Quality Directive (in the past, the UK Government has been successfully taken to court for failing to meet its obligations).
68. Strong pan-EU intellectual property protection, including participation in the upcoming unified patent system.
68. Strong pan-EU intellectual property protection, including participation in the upcoming unified patent system.
69. Some of the highest toy safety standards in the world.
70. Protection of 500 bird species under legislation dating back to 1979 and enhanced in 2009.
71. Cleaner beaches.
70. Protection of 500 bird species under legislation dating back to 1979 and enhanced in 2009.
71. Cleaner beaches.
72. Pan-EU regulators (food, chemicals etc.) that simplify testing regimes and could save us money by doing away with the need to duplicate their function at the local UK level.
73. A powerful presence on the world stage thanks to 28 EU countries acting in unison.
73. A powerful presence on the world stage thanks to 28 EU countries acting in unison.
74. Right to vote and stand as a candidate in local and European elections in the EU country you're living in, under the same conditions as local candidates.
75. Right to petition the European Parliament, either singly or jointly with others, on any matter within the EU's fields of activity. This right is also extended to companies headquartered in the EU as well as individuals.
76. Right to communicate with EU institutions in any one of the 24 official languages of the EU
77. Support for people with disabilities, including the European accessibility act (mandating the accessibility requirements of various products and services) and the EU parking card.
77. Support for people with disabilities, including the European accessibility act (mandating the accessibility requirements of various products and services) and the EU parking card.
78. Right to buy services (e.g. hotel bookings, car rentals) online from anywhere in the EU at the same price local buyers would pay.
79. Right to bring home anything you buy in another EU country without making a customs declaration, so long as it is for your own personal use.
79. Right to bring home anything you buy in another EU country without making a customs declaration, so long as it is for your own personal use.
80. Right to cancel and return the order of any product bought outside of a shop (e.g. online or by telephone) within 14 days, for any reason. (Exceptions exist, such as personalised goods or sealed packages that you have broken the seal on.)
81. Strong data protection laws, such as GDPR, that protect personal data maintained in any format (online, on paper, etc.) These include the right to withdraw consent for the processing of your data, and the right to object to receiving direct marketing.
82. The right to know what personal data a company or organisation is holding about you, within a month of requesting it. The information should be provided free of charge, and in an accessible format.
83. The right to be forgotten i.e. to get organisations to delete the personal data they've stored on you.
84. Banks must charge you the same for payments in euro across the EU as they do for the equivalent national transactions.
84. Banks must charge you the same for payments in euro across the EU as they do for the equivalent national transactions.
85. Insurance firms can sell their products anywhere in the EU, without having to be established in each EU country.
86. Enhanced human rights protection (especially against the State) through the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
86. Enhanced human rights protection (especially against the State) through the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
87. Right to register and maintain .eu domain names
88. A single broadcasting licence valid in the whole of the EU, removing the need for TV networks to obtain licences country by country.
88. A single broadcasting licence valid in the whole of the EU, removing the need for TV networks to obtain licences country by country.
89. Regulation and reporting of CO2 emissions in new vans and lorries, with a monitoring and enforcement system that includes fines for manufacturers that fail to meet their targets.
90. Participation in the EU emissions trading scheme, which establishes total caps on emissions while allowing individual companies to buy and sell their emission allowances to meet their changing requirements.
91. Participation in the EU pandemic Early Warning and Response system (EWRS) that ties together governments and key agencies to combat cross-border health threats.
This isn't an exhaustive list, but it gives you some idea of everything we've sacrificed to Brexit.
This isn't an exhaustive list, but it gives you some idea of everything we've sacrificed to Brexit.
On your way out, can I please encourage you to consider my book "Slaying Brexit Unicorns"? It busts two dozen Brexit myths, and takes an uncompromising look at no deal and the reality of trade on WTO terms. Available on Kindle & in paperback from Amazon...
amazon.co.uk/Slaying-Brexit…
amazon.co.uk/Slaying-Brexit…
