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December 19, 2014

Pragmatic UK businesses want to stay in EU

Pragmatic UK businesses want to stay in EUThe latest EU Business Barometer survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has found that most UK businesses still want to remain in the EU.

The BCC Q3 poll of more than 3,500 businesses shows that British firms continue to see a recast UK-EU relationship as the way forward; the majority of respondents (57%) say that remaining a member of the EU, with more powers brought back to Westminster, would be positive.

The most notable shift since the last quarterly survey is that less firms are concerned about remaining in the EU with no relationship change – 38% say this outcome would be negative, compared to 45% in Q2 2014.

In addition, 39% said remaining in the EU with further integration would be a negative outcome, 7% less than the last quarter.

John Longworth, BCC director general, said: “British firms are pragmatic when it comes to Europe. A majority of businesses continue to tell us that they want to remain in the European Union, but with a reformed relationship that sees a substantial shift of power from Brussels back to member states. In a nutshell, companies support the Prime Minister’s 'reform and renegotiation' agenda, but are unsure of whether and how it can actually be delivered.”

The BCC is calling on the EU to fast-track reforms that deliver a real single market in services and e-commerce. This would “benefit Britain’s world-beating professional services and digital companies by enabling them to trade more easily across borders,” said Longworth.

He added: “While UK business remains level-headed on Europe, it is unfortunate that the Europhobes and Europhiles continue to dominate the debate. Their extreme positions – “exit now” or “in at all costs” – are a turn-off to businesspeople who want to see a pragmatic outcome that is squarely in the interests of UK growth and prosperity.”

Also this week, the CBI is urging European national governments to work together to secure the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

John Cridland, CBI director-general, said: “TTIP would be the biggest free trade deal ever negotiated. Signing on the dotted line would help our ambitious exporters to access the US market and offer a direct boost to GDP and jobs.”

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