European Union: Stay or Leave?

What is the European Union?

The European Union is a political and economic union that was formed in 1993, and has
established a set of standardized laws to create an international market with the goals of allowing
free movement of people, goods, services, and money. The countries all have formed alliances
and treaties in order to have peace with each other and allow people and trade to move freely
throughout Europe without many restrictions. These countries are all economically
interdependent on each other and rely on the others for goods that they cannot access or supply
in their own country. To make trading a bit easier, 19 of the countries use the euro as the primary
currency. There are currently 28 countries in the EU, including United Kingdom, who voted to
leave the EU earlier this year.
How do treaties influence the countries in the EU?
The EU law is divided into two sections, primary and secondary legislations. Primary
legislation are the treaties and ground rules for the EU. Secondary include regulations and
directions, are taken from the basis and objectives of the primary legislation. All decisions in the
EU are formed and decided upon by the head European Parliament from the 28 countries
involved in the EU, these people collectively come together in a Council to run the EU.
The EU runs on treaties that have been voted on into the Union by all parties. There have
been treaties put in place to decide how Council votes and what happens if a proposal disagrees
with the Council (Treaty of Lisbon). Each country that is apart of the European Union is required
to enforce all laws put into place by the Union and their country.
What would be the benefits to leaving the EU?
The process for leaving the EU involves many negotiations, and involves Article 50 of
the Lisbon Treaty, which was added in 2009 and has never been used. Once Great Britain
invokes Article 50, they have 2 years to negotiate their way out of the EU, although many people
say it could take much longer to get out. While negotiating and leaving, Great Britain remains
under the EU laws, and the current Prime Minister has said they will not initiate the negotiations
until the start of 2017. All negotiations need approval from 20 countries, or a 65% approval rate.
So while it might be a lot of work to leave, the benefits to leaving could be worth all the
extra effort and struggle. Great Britains reasons for leaving make sense in the long run. They say
the EU required too many rules on businesses and imposed billions of pounds in fees a year just
to be a member. They wanted more control of their borders, and to be able control who works
and lives in their countries again. Leaving the Union could give Britain the freedom to run their
country how they wish again.
What would be the benefits of staying in the EU?

From those that wanted to stay in the EU, we hear the positive reasons. Businesses are
said to get a big boost, and selling is easier thanks to free trade between countries. The large flow
of immigration gives the economy a boost as well, since many young people are willing to work.
Britains status in the world is also said to be damaged once they officially leave.
Big businesses tended to vote to stay in the EU, since its easier for corporations to move
people, money, and goods around the world if they are apart of a single market. So it would be
much harder to do the things they are already used to if their country was to leave, posing many
new restrictions that were not already there.
What happened after the Brexit vote?
After the initial vote, the economy in Britain change noticeably. The value of the pound,
which usually ranges between $1/35-$1.45 in American dollars, dropped to as low as $1.20.
Prices of daily goods in shops, including grocery stores, rose in an attempt to cover their own
budgets and costs. Britain stock market shares dropped several days after the vote. Scotland
voted to stay in, but since the rest of Great Britain voted to leave, Scotland is being forcibly
removed. This is causing worry for another independence vote so that Scotland could apply for
membership into the EU in the future.
How will it impact the people?
After seeing what has already happened just after the Brexit vote, not even after the
country has left, we have caught a glimpse of a damaging aftermath. On an individual level,
money will not buy you as much, and things will cost more. It will be harder to immigrate to
Great Britain and find places to work there, as a main priority for them is to cut back on
immigration and outside employment once they are out of the EU. On a national level, it will be
harder for businesses to trade throughout the country, as they will no longer be apart an
organization with treaties to let everything run smoothly. It will also be just as hard for
businesses to move people and money, for the same reason.
What would I do?
If I was a country in the EU, and was unsure of to leave or stay, after this research I
would stay. Everything seems to run more smoothly when youre apart of a group with laws set
in place to prevent bumps and errors. New proposals could be brought up if there were problems
with immigration or employment. It just seems like a smarter idea to stay.