Welcome to Global Vision

Global Vision is a non-partisan campaign group that believes Britain needs to negotiate a looser, more modern relationship with the EU to reflect the rapidly changing world of the 21st century. The new relationship should be based on trade and cooperation, whilst opting out of political and economic union.

This vision recognises the reality that increasing global economic integration is profoundly reshaping the world's economy. The rise of China and India is especially significant. Economic flexibility will be the increasingly important key to any country's economic prosperity in the 21^st century global economy.

Britain is a great trading nation and its prosperity depends on trade. But Britain, as a full member of the EU, will increasingly be held back by the EU's inflexibilities which include costly and restrictive regulations and protectionism.

Britain needs to develop a new, more modern relationship with the EU

In a new paper “Britain and Europe: a new relationship”, authors Ruth Lea and Brian Binley MP discuss the options for Britain’s relationship with the other EU countries in the context of a rapidly changing world.

They point out that, whilst the EU27 accounted for over 31% of the world output in 1980, the IMF now expects that this will fall to 17% by 2017. Part of the reason for Europe’s shrinking role in the world economy is demographic. Of the buoyantly growing economies, several are in the Commonwealth, which as an economic bloc is rarely discussed and yet has great potential. The authors also discuss the costs and benefits of the EU, concluding that the economic costs significantly outweigh the benefits.

Of the possible options the authors conclude that Britain, under the WTO umbrella, should move towards the following trading relationships with EU and non-EU countries respectively:

• With EU countries: a Swiss-style relationship, based on free trade and mutually beneficial bilateral agreements.
• With non-EU countries: closer trade links with the Commonwealth, the USA and other favoured nations. These links could include the establishment of a Commonwealth FTA and/or Britain’s inclusion in NAFTA, which could then become the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement.

Building up mutually beneficial free trade links with the EU, Commonwealth and NAFTA would mean that, rather than being isolated, Britain would actually be better internationally networked, especially with the world’s growing economies, than it is today as a full member of the EU.

Ruth Lea said “the EU is important to this country. But the truth is that slow-growing Europe is shrinking inexorably as a share of the global economy. Britain needs to realign its trading interests with the fast growing countries of the world in order to improve its economic prospects. But EU membership severely restricts Britain’s room for manoeuvre. Membership of the EU’s Customs Union prevents us from negotiating our own trade deals with favoured nations whilst membership of the Single Market imposes inflexible and costly regulations on business, not least of all on the City of London. Britain should replace full EU membership by a freer and more flexible Swiss-style, EFTA relationship with the EU. Britain would then be well positioned to pursue a truly global agenda, fit for the 21st century.”

Brian Binley added “this report is about business, economic growth and opportunities for young people. Siren voices have warned that a pan-European trading bloc

would be a necessary protection in a globalised world – but this report demonstrates unambiguously that the European Union experiment has failed economically. We need to sell our products and services in the global market-place, but membership of the Single Market is inhibiting our businesses’ efforts to do this. The demographics are against Europe, but the Commonwealth provides an encouraging alternative – where a shared heritage and language combine with emerging new consumers to offer us prospects that are just not available in Europe”.

The full paper is available here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20105070/Global Vision Paper LR.pdf

A Global Vision		Fact Sheets		About Global Vision
Our ambitions for Britain in the future and how it can be achieved. Read More		Straightforward guides to all aspects of the European Union.  Read More		Profiles of the board and key staff members at Global Vision. Read More