UK's EU rebate under discussion

[MrPresident]

The UK's £2bn EU rebate comes under the scrutiny of the European Commission on Wednesday as it discusses plans to scrap or reduce Britain's deal.

The rebate, negotiated by Margaret Thatcher in 1984, is under the spotlight as part of EU budget talks.

The UK argues it is still justified because France and others get much more cash in farm subsidies and other help.

Downing Street has said it will fight to keep the subsidy and Britain has the right of veto over any changes to it.

Tony Blair's official spokesman said last week: "We recognise that, in relative terms to most other EU countries, we have become more prosperous over the past decade, but we still believe the rebate is justified because of the distortions in programmes such as the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy).

"Any change would have to be passed unanimously so that does give us a veto."

Lady Thatcher argued in the 1980s that Britain was the biggest net contributor to the EU kitty despite being comparatively far down the then top of the European wealth league table.

Britain became the only EU state to qualify for the rebate.

Now, with a newly expanded Europe of 25 member states, there is pressure for cash to be redistributed to poorer states such as the former communist countries.

That proposal will be tabled by the EU's budget commissioner, Michaele Schreyer.

Ms Schreyer's plans would reportedly make Britain the biggest net contributor to the EU budget.

She wants to replace the British rebate with a general refund for all big net contributors.

Explaining her plan, Ms Schreyer said: "The sums allocated to poor new member states is growing and the British rebate is also growing to the burden of others."

UK Independence Party MEP Robert Kilroy-Silk has written to Tony Blair urging him to fight for the rebate.

"I am telling him to say that this is not an issue, that it is not negotiable and that he must exercise the veto to prevent this from happening," the eurosceptic said.

Source

I think we should give up the rebate in exchange for a reform of the CAP.

 

[test_specimen]

I think we should give up the rebate in exchange for a reform of the CAP.

A reform of the CAP is even more important than cancelling the rebate. But in the long run Britain will have to pay the same as other countries.

There should also be done some more to improve the image of the EU in the UK, many Brits have a wrong perception of what the EU really is (generalization, but prove me wrong).

 

[MrPresident]

many Brits have a wrong perception of what the EU really is (generalization, but prove me wrong).

Nah, you're right.

 

[Hitro]

I think we should give up the rebate in exchange for a reform of the CAP.

Now that is a great idea!

But tell that to France...

 

[Stapel]

The CAP is the most moronic thing in the EU. A good reason to get out of the EU today. I seriously don't understand how any reasonably thinking politician can agree with it.

 

[Hitro]

The CAP is the most moronic thing in the EU. A good reason to get out of the EU today. I seriously don't understand how any reasonably thinking politician can agree with it.

If you rely on farmer's votes to keep your job it is quite reasonable to do so. For a politician...

 

[luiz]

...reasonably thinking politician...

That's the problem, right there.

 

[Stapel]

If you rely on farmer's votes to keep your job it is quite reasonable to do so. For a politician...

Holland is the biggest exporter of agricultural stuuf, behind US and France, yet only 4% of the labour population is in agriculture. I don't know the figures for France, but I don't think they are that much different.

 

[luiz]

Holland is the biggest exporter of agricultural stuuf, behind US and France, yet only 4% of the labour population is in agriculture. I don't know the figures for France, but I don't think they are that much different.

Hitro got a point, though.

4% is enough to elect severall Representatives that can give a hard time to government iniciatives.

And I think France has the highest rural population in the EU(excluding the new members).

 

[Hitro]

Holland is the biggest exporter of agricultural stuuf, behind US and France, yet only 4% of the labour population is in agriculture. I don't know the figures for France, but I don't think they are that much different.

Sure, it is without question that the vast majority doesn't profit from it, nowhere in Europe.

But the farmer lobby in France is extremely powerful, the same also applies to certain German states and probably other countries as well. Their influence is big enough to make the one or the other politician think about acting against them.

 

[El Sop]

Although extremely necessary, reforming the CAP is a theme that few politicians want to burn their fingers on. Here in Spain at least, I haven't seen any politician advocating it, bearing in mind that we effectively have a 2 party system here, with roughly equal support in the country. I don't know the percentages, but I'm sure that people working in farming and fishing exceeds 4% by quite a big number and are therefore a very important group in elections. OTOH we just had the elections here, so maybe they can quickly start reforming.

 

[Marla_Singer]

The CAP is not such a shame as you all think it is. Actually, America and Japan are giving more export subsidies than the CAP does in Europe. That doesn't avoid Northern Europeans to consider the CAP as an insult to free-markets economy...

Those big words are just fancy. It's not about a so-called superior ideology, it's only a matter of wallet. So please stop bashing the CAP as a "socialistic monster", and simply say you don't really care about eating Brazilian wheat more than Spanish wheat as long as it's cheaper. At the opposite of Americans who don't mind paying more to eat Missouri's wheat instead of Chinese wheat.

My point in here is only to state a fact, I am not a farmer and I have no interest in European farming.

Now about the Brit rebates, I think it will no longer be an issue since the UK will most likely be out of the EU before 2010. Indeed, it seems the British media are vigorously campaigning for a "no" to the European Constitution, which will actually mean a "yes" to leave the Union.

I don't think it was smart to have accepted Britain inside the EU knowing it would be only a half member paying nothing and wanting to have the advantages of full members. I think it was actually totally stupid. Such a rebate shouldn't have existed on the first place since Britain shouldn't have been a member on the first place (isn't it what all Brits think ?).

What annoys me in all that story is simply that no one is ready to make concessions in here. It's a bit like a football team where all the players want to be the only one to score... obviously forgetting that the best way to score consists in playing collectively.

As a result, no one scores. And that's exactly what Europe does since 1945, nothing. We are simply watching the 21st century History going on as mere spectators. If I'm sad about it, it's simply because I think we could be great actors if only we really wanted.

 

[Stapel]

The CAP is not such a shame as you all think it is. Actually, America and Japan are giving more export subsidies than the CAP does in Europe. That doesn't avoid Northern Europeans to consider the CAP as an insult to free-markets economy...

Those big words are just fancy. It's not about a so-called superior ideology, it's only a matter of wallet. So please stop bashing the CAP as a "socialistic monster", and simply say you don't really care about eating Brazilian wheat more than Spanish wheat as long as it's cheaper. At the opposite of Americans who don't mind paying more to eat Missouri's wheat instead of Chinese wheat.

So Japan and US are even more moronic. So what? The CAP is a ridiculous thing. Indeed a socialist monster. MY money is used to keep alive uncompetitive farmers . How in the world did anybody get the idea of rewarding people that underperform? An incentive to weaken economy!

If a Brasilian farmer makes my wheat cheaper, I'll buy it right away.

 

[Marla_Singer]

Stapel, you didn't get the main point of my post.

 

[Stapel]

Stapel, you didn't get the main point of my post.

I read it 4 times, and indeed didn't get your point .
I still don't get it!

 

[Marla_Singer]

Stapel, I will quote myself again :

It's a bit like a football team where all the players want to be the only one to score... obviously forgetting that the best way to score consists in playing collectively.

As a result, no one scores. And that's exactly what Europe does since 1945, nothing. We are simply watching the 21st century History going on as mere spectators. If I'm sad about it, it's simply because I think we could be great actors if only we really wanted.

It's not about the CAP, the Brit rebate or the exports of Dutch flowers that really count, it's the overall thing.

Everyone is playing individually and as the football fan you are, you know it's not the way to win the World Cup.

 

[Stapel]

Stapel, I will quote myself again :It's not about the CAP, the Brit rebate or the exports of Dutch flowers that really count, it's the overall thing.

Everyone is playing individually and as the football fan you are, you know it's not the way to win the World Cup.

Sure, but that will always be the case.

My point is that the CAP, regardless of who benefits from it, is a bad thing, as it stimulates doing bad.

 

[Marla_Singer]

Sure, but that will always be the case.

You really think so Stapel ? Well then, don't you think it's maybe THAT which is the most moronic thing of all ?

 

[Evertonian]

@Marla
Can you clarify your point about the CAP please? Are you defending it? I was too stupid to deduce it from your post.

 

[Mise]

The CAP is a ridiculous thing. Indeed a socialist monster.

I doubt if you'll find much socialist support for CAP. It's workers of the world unite, not farmers of the world unite.