WE REMAIN
For Education
Currently, students are able to study abroad with ease. Under the Erasmus scheme, over 200,000 UK students have studied in Universities in Europe. The EU also contributes towards fees as residents of EU nations are able to study in other EU countries as ‘home students’, which is often cheaper. Huge numbers of staff at UK universities come from the EU. The EU also provides funding for universities and research grants and partnerships.
(see: The Complete University Guide: How does the european union affect universities and students?)
For Economy
David Cameron has argued for a compromise if we stay in the EU, keeping the pound but remaining European business trade without the fear of discrimination. He has also ensured protection and safeguards for Britain’s large financial services industry, preventing Eurozone regulations from being imposed on it. This means we will remain within the trade but protect our own strengths.
For Immigration
With the new settlement, Britain will be able to deny automatic free movement rights to nationals of a country outside of the EU who marry an EU national, reducing great security risks. The UK can decide to limit in-work benefits for EU migrants as an “emergency brake” in the case of ‘exceptional levels of migration.’ Immigration from the rest of the EU has been good for Britain’s economy.
For Welfare
All EU institutions have a role in protecting human rights and ensures all national governments are implementing EU law. EU policy includes working to promote the rights of children, women, minorities and displaced persons; opposing the death penalty, torture, human trafficking and discrimination; defending civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. With this, all trade and agreed cooperation with non-EU countries include a human rights clause stipulating that human rights are central to EU relations.
For Travel
Currently, you only need a valid ID card or passport to travel in the EU. Any EU country’s boarders are open to any EU citizen who has adequate identification.
(There are a group of countries within the Schengen area that do not check ID cards or passports at boarder control however you are expected to carry them with you if you should need to prove identity.)
Currently, if an EU citizen loses their ID card or passport or it is stolen, EU countries have a system in place to deal with such cases.
Products
When you go on holiday in the European Union, you can currently bring back what you want as long as the products purchased are for personal use and not for resale. (http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/travellers/within_eu/index_en.htm)
Health
The European Health Insurance Card gives UK citizens the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in EU countries. This means you can access the state-run hospitals if you require necessary medical attention on holiday. (http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx) This decreases the need for travel insurance when travelling in the EU (note: this does not mean that travel insurance is not necessary!). A growing number of insurers are now willing to scrap excess charges for customers who use an EHIC when getting treatment on holiday.
Do you watch your phone bill when you go on holiday? The EU has worked to remove roaming charges and have announced they will be abolished by June 2017. This is something that may be renegotiated depending on the referendum outcome.
For Workers' Rights
The EU has helped guarantee paid holiday, improved maternity and paternity leave, put limits on work time and given better protection to agencies and temporary workers.
Workers in the UK are guaranteed a minimum of four weeks’ paid holiday. Workers are guaranteed 11 consecutive hours’ rest in any 24-hour period, a 20-minute rest break if the working day is longer than six hours, a minimum of one day off each week, a working week limited to on average 48 hours a week, and limits to night work of an average eight hours in any 24-hour period.
More than 8 million part-time workers in the UK have the same rights as full-time workers. About three-quarters of these are women. It was a European court of justice ruling that helped part-time workers to have the same rights to join occupational pension schemes as their full-time colleagues. (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/06/leave-campaign-workers-rights-brexiters-british)
For VAT, TAX and the EU
Within the EU, there are no import or export duties. By voting remain, we would avoid any financial consequences and remain in the territory of the community with access to free movement of goods.
WE LEAVE
For Education
The government will no longer be spending millions in membership fees with a potential bigger budget for funding our own institutions. We will ‘escape’ EU regulations, such a governing clinical trials, restricting our scope of topics. Universities would have the freedom to do and teach as they choose, away from bureaucracy.
For Economy
Britain would be able to sell goods and services without being hit by excessive tariffs and other restrictions (however we would still have to comply with EU policy!) There are several ‘models’ that Britain could replica, The Norwegian, Swiss and Turkish model are all viable options, allowing different negotiations and opportunities for trade. The UK could also make a clean break and rely on the World Trade Organization as a basis for trade.
For Immigration
Britain would regain full control of its borders. Some parties seek work permit system so that EU nationals would need the same visa restrictions as those outside the EU. Some argue that this would reduce migrant numbers and boost wages.
For Welfare
If Britain left the EU, we would still have to remain committed to the EU human rights and welfare however it is proposed that the health services will be under less pressure.
For Travel
Movement
EU rules allow European Union citizens to come to Britain with only a national identity card. An independent UK could re-impose the rule that all foreign nationals must have a passport, making it more difficult for many EU citizens to visit. Despite this, it is highly likely the British travel industry would lobby strongly against this.
We lost the right to buy duty free in 1999 but we gained the right to bring home unlimited amounts of duty paid goods when travelling home from EU countries. Leaving the EU may offer a return of duty-free allowances when travelling in the EU however there are pros and cons of both duty free and duty paid (for the difference: http://www.uktrf.co.uk/travellers-info/frequently-asked-questions/#Why-are-some-goods-duty-free)
Cost
It has been proposed that the cost of holidays, flights and general travel will increase in we leave the EU. If Britain left the EU, new air service agreements MIGHT have to be negotiated, risking higher fares. Along with this, there has been a long battle to ensure airlines respect the EU directive which sets out the requirements for compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled. Currently, if you suffer problems with your delay, your rights are now properly enshrined in EU law.
British Travel Agents chief executive has warned that vote leave could lead to uncertainty for travel costs and fees. The vote remain campaign argues that tourists, holiday makers and businessmen will be able to travel freely with lower charges and more protection however there is always constant shift in holiday prices.
The vote leave campaign dismisses the claims that the sterling would fall, or holiday will costs rise. In fact, they argue to “take back control of aviation policy”, however this would depend on subsequent negotiation.
Work
The amount we choose to holiday at home and the number of overseas visitors coming to the UK will certainly be affected. The exact impact is unknown but this might promote British holiday destinations such as Butlin’s or Center Parcs.
The ‘movement of labour’ will have an effect on UK Tourism. At present, more than a ¼ of inbound arrivals are classed as VFRs ‘visiting friends and relations’. These visitors do spend less than average tourists but still contribute around £5bn a year in payment for accommodation, travel etc along with the associated tax contribution. If the number of foreigners working in the UK were to fall then a decline in tourism is expected.
Along with this, many employees in holiday resorts are from the EU. It may prove difficult to find staff and may have to raise wages, encouraging UK staff and pushing up prices for tourists.
For Workers' Rights
It would be up to the UK to decide whether that come from the EU were kept in UK law. UK law also creates some employment rights that go further than EU law, for example, it guarantees the National Minimum Wage, which is not part of EU law. Also, there are some worker’s rights that pre-date the UK joining the European Union, for example laws promoting equal pay and banning race discrimination – which will not be affected by a vote leave.
However, rights such as commission, over-time pay and redundancies could be affected in the case of vote leave.
For VAT, TAX and the EU
Vote leave would mean that UK businesses need to deal with border controls when their supplies or sales cross the UK-EU border.
In the optimistic case, we will be able to strike a “Norway-style deal” and become part of the European Economic Area, so imports would still be duty-free to the UK. However, the importer would need to show documents to prove to the UK border that the product was made in the EU. There may be other, less beneficial and more expensive options that would require the payment of tax on imported items.
EU rules mean that currently VAT rates can’t be lowered below 5%. Household gas and electricity is currently charged at 5% in the UK however if we vote leave, this could be reduced. This wouldn’t automatically lead to lower prices – we would have to consider the wider economic impacts first.