EU Expansion

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Ronald42 · #31 Post by **Ronald42** » Sun 02 May 2004, 12:30 pm

mindboy wrote:Yeah, my country's entering as well.... I'm not that celebrative person, and I'm very glad that I'm working tonite while there's a big celebration in country... I just don't like the euphoria... I heard old EU members are very sceptical about the expansion....Well, that's sad if it's true...I guess we'll see proper results of joining in 50 years time...

Yes indeed we are. But in a few years you'll be to I'm sure. With the coming of the Euro (€), which will happen in your country to someday, prices went sky high. 2 years later things slowy coming to normal levels again. But things like taxes are still rising. While our gouverment has frozen all raises so life is VERY expensive these days. Now more people come to our country to work here for much less than we're paid. Somehow they think it's like heaven here, well I can say It's not. This stupid Europe thing is costing Loads of money and my stupid gouverment of my litlle country is paying the biggest part of it. Guess were all that money comes from. Police are requered to make € 80.000.000 extra on traffic fines not to make the streets safer NO that's not what it's for just for the money. Gas prizes are higher than in our neibours countries just to make more money for the gouverment.
And than I won't even begin about the monthly moving (for a week) of the European Parlement from Brussels to Straatsbourgh. That Stupid thing costs so much money we all could live from it for a year. Than the Translation costs of all questions asked in the European Parlement, because some Stupid aresholes can't understand English. Man I could go on for ages.
I'm not against you're country joining I'm against this whole joined Europa thing. It just costs to much money. (out of our pockets)

Ronald

#32 Post by **Drico One** » Sun 02 May 2004, 4:28 pm

Ronald42 wrote:[ But things like taxes are still rising.

The European Union has no control over its members' national taxation regimes. If taxation is rising in the Netherlands, it's because of your government's policies, not because of EU membership.

Ronald42 wrote:Now more people come to our country to work here for much less than we're paid.

True to a point. However, the people coming from the new member states are in many cases less educated than those in existing member states and will not challenge your position if you truly merit your existing salary. It might be more difficult to secure a burger-flipping job now, but I doubt you aspire to that. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some that come will be very skilled and will fill a shortage in the labour market. These people won't work for nothing, you know, and will realise their market value quite quickly.

Somehow they think it's like heaven here, well I can say It's not. This stupid Europe thing is costing Loads of money and my stupid gouverment of my litlle country is paying the biggest part of it.

Would you like to imagine life outside of the EU for your country? We'd see how long your current salary would last then.

Ronald42 wrote:I'm not against you're country joining I'm against this whole joined Europa thing. It just costs to much money. (out of our pockets) Ronald

If that were so, there would be a queue of nations trying to leave the EU. Fact is, there is a queue waiting to join. I wonder why?

Drico.

GalataPSB · #33 Post by **GalataPSB** » Sun 02 May 2004, 4:50 pm

Romano Prodi and Berlusconi said that Turkey,Russia and Israel would be last countries in Eu!!

Luna Noctis · #34 Post by **Luna Noctis** » Sun 02 May 2004, 8:26 pm

Berlusconi ...

dVTB · #35 Post by **dVTB** » Tue 04 May 2004, 2:22 pm

#36 Post by **Drico One** » Tue 04 May 2004, 2:32 pm

Most non-EU countries in Europe (like Norway, Switzerland) are really doing ok. The Norwegian economy is expected to grow 3,25% this year, I found. That's an awful lot better than the Dutch economy.

Norway has oil reserves that keep it afloat. However, these will run out and will see Norway crawling into the EU on terms that are unfavourable to it in the future.

Switzerland? Well, at the risk of offending a few Swiss posters, I'm afraid we all know what that economy is based on...

These are the last two Western European countries outside the EU. Everybody else is inside. There is a reason for that. Prosperity.

Drico.

dVTB · #37 Post by **dVTB** » Tue 04 May 2004, 3:00 pm

PigletWildebeest · Tue 04 May 2004, 3:01 pm

I've not noticed prices rizing since the Euro actually. Not at all.

dVTB · #39 Post by **dVTB** » Tue 04 May 2004, 3:05 pm

PigletWildebeest · Tue 04 May 2004, 4:07 pm

dVTB wrote:
PigletWildebeest wrote:I've not noticed prices rizing since the Euro actually. Not at all.
Hmmmm.... that could have something to do with the exchange rate between the Belgian Franc and the euro. It's something like 40 Francs = 1 euro, right?

The exchange rate between the Dutch Guilder and the euro is approximately 2,20. On many occasions prices were simply divided by two: Something that used to cost 10 guilders, started to cost 5 euro's (which is 11 guilders). I could mention endless examples of how the euro made our prices increase rapidly.

(dVTB)

It's 40.3344 francs for a Euro yes

(to be precise)
There was a lot of control that prices didn't raise (much) more than they normally do.
I also think BalkenIdiot is a problem for the Netherlands. Granted, I don't know the guy, but he doesn't strike me as a very intelligent leader.

Ray · #41 Post by **Ray** » Tue 04 May 2004, 4:39 pm

I think Euro is a very good idea, however, it's the greed that hurt the economy. Prices went up for the precise reason dVTB described. But not because of Euro; because of greed.

The prices here are already on the rise because of the EU accession, btw. To be precise -- because we had 7% VAT on some things (e.g. toys) and now it's 22%. But it's not Union's fault that our government has chosen to introduce 22% VAT which IIRC is the third biggest in all of Europe. If that was lowered to, say, 16%, the income might even be bigger, but all the governments we had in the last 8-10 years (and there were a few) seem to be determined to gather quick cash and run :/

Speaking of Norway and Switzerland, well, Drico detailed my views on the subject already.

profile790 · #42 Post by **profile790** » Tue 04 May 2004, 6:51 pm

LittleBummerBoy · #43 Post by **LittleBummerBoy** » Tue 04 May 2004, 6:57 pm

stats-freak wrote:People want money, money, money

Oh, I dunno. It broke their run of No.1s that started with Mamma Mia and ended with Take A Chance On Me

define psb · #44 Post by **define psb** » Wed 05 May 2004, 10:37 am

LittleBummerBoy wrote:
stats-freak wrote:People want money, money, money
Oh, I dunno. It broke their run of No.1s that started with Mamma Mia and ended with Take A Chance On Me

Dammit---I thought it was Gimme Gimme Gimme a (E.U.) man after Midnite!!!

LittleBummerBoy · #45 Post by **LittleBummerBoy** » Wed 05 May 2004, 4:30 pm

define psb wrote:
LittleBummerBoy wrote:
stats-freak wrote:People want money, money, money
Oh, I dunno. It broke their run of No.1s that started with Mamma Mia and ended with Take A Chance On Me
Dammit---I thought it was Gimme Gimme Gimme a (E.U.) man after Midnite!!!

Oh I had plenty of them in Brussels! It was Friday night and we didn't get to the club (La Demence) until gone 2am. We really did have a man (or ten) after midnight.

When we left the club at 11am we realised it was May 1st and we were in the city that has orchestrated all this EU expansion. Talk about right place at the right time, even if we had other things on our mind