Why is the EU a bad thing?

If this post explodes I implore you to fact-check anything you hear. I'm personally for greater EU integration because I have heard some good arguments in favour of the EU and the arguments against usually don't stand up to scrutiny.

Episode Five: The Writing on the Wall

Sir Humphrey: Minister, Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe. In that cause we have fought with the Dutch against the Spanish, with the Germans against the French, with the French and Italians against the Germans, and with the French against the Germans and Italians. Divide and rule, you see. Why should we change now, when it's worked so well?

Hacker: That's all ancient history, surely?

Sir Humphrey: Yes, and current policy. We 'had' to break the whole thing [the EEC] up, so we had to get inside. We tried to break it up from the outside, but that wouldn't work. Now that we're inside we can make a complete pig's breakfast of the whole thing: set the Germans against the French, the French against the Italians, the Italians against the Dutch. The Foreign Office is terribly pleased; it's just like old times.

Hacker: But surely we're all committed to the European ideal?

Sir Humphrey: [chuckles] Really, Minister.

Hacker: If not, why are we pushing for an increase in the membership?

Sir Humphrey: Well, for the same reason. It's just like the United Nations, in fact; the more members it has, the more arguments it can stir up, the more futile and impotent it becomes.

Hacker: What appalling cynicism.

Sir Humphrey: Yes... We call it diplomacy, Minister.

I think membership is a good thing. The EU is the largest donor etc.

Europe needs reform though

If this post explodes I implore you to fact-check anything you hear. I'm personally for greater EU integration because I have heard some good arguments in favour of the EU and the arguments against usually don't stand up to scrutiny.

I think membership is a good thing. The EU is the largest donor to the UN and other Countries etc. 60% of British Trade is with the Eurozone

Europe needs reform though

Maybe I'm just ignorant but apart from being financially weak at the moment, why is the EU a bad thing?

UKIP people- No, it really isn't a German conspiracy to rule the world...

The EU itself isn't really a bad thing in principle. The majority of the problems lie with the Eurozone where there are economically poor areas such as Greece and the economic heartlands of Germany sharing a currency without any sort of fiscal pact. If the Eurozone is reformed, the EU would on the whole remain a good thing.

Ok, here's a couple that do. They all figures from the European comission.

Cost of EU regulation to businesses in the EU: estimated at 500bn Euro per annum
Benefit of single market to businesses in the EU: estimated at 100bn Euro per annum. Thus estimated net cost of the EU to businesses: 400bn Euro per annum.

Estimated money lost through 'mispayments': around 6 billion euros this year alone.

Of which estimated to be fraud: 258.2 million euros (remember, these are EU figures, and there is no explanation of how they arrived at the decision that only one twentieth of missing money was defrauded)

Maybe I'm just ignorant but apart from being financially weak at the moment, why is the EU a bad thing?

UKIP people- No, it really isn't a German conspiracy to rule the world...

I think membership is a good thing. The EU is the largest donor to the UN and other Countries etc. 60% of British Trade is with the Eurozone

Europe needs reform though

You seem to be assuming it is regulation the UK itself would do better or not do at all if it weren't in the EU. I'm not sure that is the case.
My apologies but could you link the commissions report with the figures? I've been trying to find the EU and the UK figures but I've been having difficulty.