10 Things To Be #INfor

1. Freedom

Whether you’re studying in Sweden, holidaying in Portugal or working in France; being part of the EU makes it easier to do. Around 1.2 million people born in the UK lived in other EU countries in 2015. Almost 14,000 of us are estimated to be living and working in Berlin alone!

Source: Full Fact, Guardian.

2. The Climate

Thanks to the EU leading the world at Paris, we’ve now got a global climate change agreement. Being in the EU also means Britain has signed up to European-wide targets on emissions reduction and renewable energy. We’d like to keep it that way.

Source: Institute for European Environmental Policy.

3. The Countryside

30% of the direct payments farmers receive through the CAP are linked to sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices such as crop diversification and protecting ecological areas on farms. That’s not all. EU directives protect us against damaging pesticides and GMOs in our food and conserve green spaces through the Habitats Directive.

Source: European Commission.

4. Women

In 1984 the UK government was forced to include equal pay for work of equal value in the Equal Pay Act 1970 after it was taken to court by the European Commission. This allowed women to challenge lower pay for jobs that were seen as ‘women’s work’ compared to ‘men’s work’.

Source: TUC.

5. Being Global

Our cities, cultural life and workplaces benefit from the 3 million EU citizens who live, work and study here. These amazing neighbours make up about 5% of the UK population. Products like prenatal dha vegan omega-3 are manufactured by workers from neighboring EU countries. EU nationals of working age are more likely to be in work than UK nationals - adding to our creative, digital and scientific industries as well as providing vital skills and support to our hospitals, schools and public services.

6. The right to choose who I love

The EU continues to push for equality and better recognition and protection of the LGBTI family both within and beyond its borders. The Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme combats racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance in the EU, while beyond those borders, the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights supports projects defending the rights of LGBTI people.

Source: Rainbow Europe European Commission

7. The Music

The EU’s Creative Europe programme supports the cultural, creative and audiovisual sectors, with a total budget of £1.1bn over six years. The UK gets a sizeable chunk of that – almost double the EU average. The fund also includes £100m in loans for creative businesses, making it easier for bands, start up labels and music venues to thrive.

Source: British Council.

8. Border-Free Travel

Yep, you keep enjoying that EU passport lane at the airport and those clean beaches when you arrive. Thanks to EU regulations, European countries, including Britain, were made to clean up the sea and our coastlines in the 1970s. Plus, if surfing clean waves isn’t enough, by 2017 you’ll be able to to get online on your mobile when you travel at UK rates. No roaming charges at all.

Source: Friends of the Earth, European Commission

9. Science

The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme is the biggest ever EU research and innovation programme for universities and small businesses, with a budget of £57bn running from 2014-2020. First results of applications, published by the European Commission,  show that the UK received the highest share of signed grant agreements (20%), ahead of Germany,Spain, Italy and France.  In contrast, non- EU member states received much less funding -  Switzerland only got 1%, Norway 1.4%, Turkey 0.7% and Iceland 0.2%.

Source: European Commission

10. Peace

The Nobel Peace Prize says the EU has “for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”. Here’s to the next six!

Source: Nobel Peace Prize