Being in Europe 'costs £114,000 a minute'

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

That is £1,000 a year for every man, woman and child in the country.

The report, by the right-wing Bruges Group think-tank, is an attempt to conduct the cost-benefit analysis demanded by many MPs and peers since we joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.

Scroll down for more...

The Berlaymont Commission building in Brussels - one of the institutions apparently costing £114,000 a minute

Successive governments have refused such a study, arguing the benefits are selfevident. But the research concludes Britain has contributed £213billion to the EU budget since it joined - and forecasts that by 2013 this will have risen to almost £300billion.

It also assesses indirect costs of membership. Over-regulation costs Britain at least £26billion a year and the Common Agricultural Policy at least £15.6billion, it claims.

This year, the report says, membership of the EU will cost £60.1 billion gross.

The CAP, the report says, costs a British family of four an additional £20 on their weekly food bill.

About half of this is made up of higher taxes in order to subsidise farmers, and half through higher food bills compared to what we would pay for the same food on the world market.

Robert Oulds, director of the Bruges Group, said: £To put it into perspective just £1 billion will pay for 222,000 hip replacements, or 46,893 nurses, or 38,782 teachers, or 34,585 police officers.

"This money would be better spent in Britain for the benefit of the British people."

The Treasury dismissed the figures, saying Britain's contributions for 2006/7 were £8.7billion gross. The European Commission said the statistics were "exaggerated".