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Open Europe business poll (September 2006)
ICM surveyed 1,000 Chief Executives for Open Europe in September 2006. The top line results were:
- 52% of respondents thought that the EU was “failing”
- 54% thought that EU over-regulation “outweighed” the benefits of the Single Market.
- 60% thought that the UK should renegotiate to reduce its involvement in the EU to one of free trade only.
Key findings
(i) The direction of the regulatory burden
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Generally increasing
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59%
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Staying at about the same level
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35%
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Generally decreasing
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4%
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Don’t know
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2%
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Balance: increasing minus decreasing
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55%
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(ii) Regulatory costs of the Single market and the benefits of the Single Market
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The costs of extra regulation have outweighed the benefits of the Single Market
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54%
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The benefits of the Single Market have outweighed the costs of the extra regulation
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35%
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Don’t know
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11%
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(iii) Success or failure of the EU
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The EU is failing. Britain will be more prosperous and secure if we keep the pound and take back powers from the EU
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52%
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The EU is a success. Britain will be more prosperous and secure if we join then Euro and give more powers to the EU.
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36%
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Don’t know
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11%
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(iv) Should or should not Britain renegotiate the existing EU treaties so that they are reduced to trade and association agreements only?
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Should renegotiate treaties so they are reduced to trade
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60%
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Should not renegotiate treaties so they are reduced to trade
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30%
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Don’t know
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10%
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Balance: should minus should not
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30%
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(v) Views on the future changing shares of world economy in the following regions
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Get bigger (%)
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Stay the same (%)
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Decline (%)
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Balance: get bigger minus decline (%)
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China
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94
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3
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2
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92
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India
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88
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8
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2
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86
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South America
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39
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38
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15
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24
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USA
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29
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35
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34
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-5
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Africa
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24
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38
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35
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-11
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Europe
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24
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39
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35
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-11
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(vi) Other views
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Good idea
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Bad idea
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Balance: good minus bad
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Reduce the amount of bureaucracy the EU produces
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93
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5
|
88
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Establish clear fixed limits on the powers of the EU
|
89
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8
|
81
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Give back member states like Britain control over regional spending
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84
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11
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73
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Give MPs in Westminster new powers to scrutinise EU regulations before they are passed & to stop Government ministers from signing up to them
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83
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15
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68
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Reduce the amount the EU spends on farm subsidies
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79
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16
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63
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Reduce the overall budget of the EU & cut taxes
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77
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19
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58
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Give back member states like Britain control over fishing
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69
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26
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43
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Reduce the EU’s trade barriers against the rest of the world
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66
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26
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40
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Give the EU new powers to harmonise courts & criminal justice systems in different countries
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45
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50
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-5
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Create a single EU foreign Minister & EU Foreign Office
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41
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50
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-9
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Create a President of the EU
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32
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63
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-31
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For full details of the polls see www.openeurope.org.uk/businesspres.pdf
RL, March 2007
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