Briefing Notes

Ireland is significantly wealthier than the UK and continues to outperform the rest of the EU. By  Download Briefing Note: BN#39

“The Commonwealth's structure is based on unwritten traditional procedures, and not on a formal constitution or other code... the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies…” Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, Singapore, 22nd January 1971 By  Download Briefing Note: BN#38

A country - even a close neighbour - doesn't need to belong to the EU to trade with it. It can cherry-pick the bits it wants through Free Trade Agreements. By  Download Briefing Note: BN#36

“Intra-EU trade in manufactured goods has been shrinking since 2000: it's the same story in services…levels of intra-EU trade in services are lower than a decade ago.” “Facing the Challenge”, Wim Kok, 5th November 2004 By  Download Briefing Note: BN#37

The UK continues to slide down the EU Prosperity Rankings, as it does in other authoritative international league tables, to 8th in 2003 from 6th in 2002 and 4th in 2001. The UK was therefore in the bottom half of the EU-15 Prosperity Rankings in 2003. By  Download Briefing Note: BN#35