In the UK the EU gets a bad press. But are their any good things about being a member of the EU?

The Single (or “Internal”) Market is the result of the EU’s policies on trade, industry, employment and consumer affairs. Since its launch on 1st January 1993, the Single Market has brought major benefits to businesses, consumers and employees alike. Some of the changes have been very noticeable - border controls have been abolished, cutting costs to business and speeding up the physical movement of goods and people across the Union.

Other changes have been less noticeable, but have made a real difference to people’s everyday lives. Standards have been harmonised for hundreds of products, producing a level playing field for manufacturers across the EU, regardless of where they are based. And “mutual recognition” of goods produced in one member of the Single Market by all the others means that if a product is good enough to be sold in one country, it cannot be excluded from sale in another. The overall effect has been to turn the EU into a “domestic” market for all citizens.

The EU is the world's largest international single market. Following the accession of Bulgaria and Rumania on 1st January 2007, the Single Market now includes the 27 Member States and also the three European Economic Area countries - Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Its population numbers around 500 million people – a bigger trading area than the US and Japan combined.