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Switzerland retracts its application to join the EU just a week before British vote

The vote came from the Government's lower house as the Swiss foreign minister Didier Burkhalter told the bloc to "consider the application as withdrawn".

Mr Burkhalter said the motion is "unnecessary" because Switzerland does not intend to join and should be considered an "independent sovereign nation".

Switzerland has never been a member of EU but has accepted free trade with the union since the 1970s as well as accepting free movement of people as a member of the Schengen zone.

Two years ago the Swiss public voted in a referendum to impose immigration quotas but Brussels refused to grant the request, threatening to block its free trade access if it wanted to curb free movement.

Read More:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/680342/Switzerland-withdraws-application-join-European-Union-Brexit-Britain-vote-EU

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Why would they want to be part of the EU? They currently have practically all of the benefits it offers that are worth having.

If the 23 June vote was to join/not join, I can't reallly see anyone wanting to join with the state of the Eurozone, possibility of Turkey being EU visas, if not joining fullly...
Bully boys EU trying to bribe members into joining! The United States of Europe will never happen. It's crazy how these 'exclusive' trade deals have been set up by the EU "the single market" and we have to pay to be in it! "Its taken 10 years to set up" bla bla bla.. bol****** Little old me can buy something from anywhere in the world via the internet.. it takes me 5 minutes!

At the end of the day we have things to sell, and people are buying them.. the business links have been established. Why do we need the EU again?! What other benefits do we get?
Original post by Iknowbest
Bully boys EU trying to bribe members into joining! The United States of Europe will never happen. It's crazy how these 'exclusive' trade deals have been set up by the EU "the single market" and we have to pay to be in it! "Its taken 10 years to set up" bla bla bla.. bol****** Little old me can buy something from anywhere in the world via the internet.. it takes me 5 minutes!

At the end of the day we have things to sell, and people are buying them.. the business links have been established. Why do we need the EU again?! What other benefits do we get?


Delusional rambling. What are you even saying? Are you really getting upset that trade deals exist? You really don't have a clue, do you?
Reply 4
Avatar for M14B
M14B
18
Good for them!
Yes I know how a trade deal works.. stop over complicating things like the EU.. we buy things and we sell things.. simple!

I am not upset but annoyed that we need to bow down to the mighty EU "please let us trade" haha.. get f*****
Original post by JordanL_
Delusional rambling. What are you even saying? Are you really getting upset that trade deals exist? You really don't have a clue, do you?
Original post by Iknowbest
Yes I know how a trade deal works.. stop over complicating things like the EU.. we buy things and we sell things.. simple!

I am not upset but annoyed that we need to bow down to the mighty EU "please let us trade" haha.. get f*****


Over complicating things? Something isn't bad just because you struggle to comprehend it...
No you just cant accept how easy trade deals should be in the 21st centrury.. this is not 1970 now dear.. we have something called the world wide web and mobile telephones these days..
Original post by JordanL_
Over complicating things? Something isn't bad just because you struggle to comprehend it...
Original post by Iknowbest
No you just cant accept how easy trade deals should be in the 21st centrury.. this is not 1970 now dear.. we have something called the world wide web and mobile telephones these days..


No, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
I have traded from many countries.. I import my products monthly.. then I also sell worldwide.. so i know exactly how it works :biggrin: - i don't need to pay the EU a penny :tongue:
Original post by JordanL_
No, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
Although I usually disagree with any comparison between Switzerland (or Norway) and the United Kingdom when it comes to their relationship with the European Union, in this case I do hope that this gives the 'Brexiters' a little more confidence. It is possible to do well in Europe without the European Union, especially if the Union is turning into a federation.
Original post by Iknowbest
I have traded from many countries.. I import my products monthly.. then I also sell worldwide.. so i know exactly how it works :biggrin: - i don't need to pay the EU a penny :tongue:


Global trade is more complicated than that. You seem to think that trade deals exist to allow us to import and export.
Original post by Iknowbest
I have traded from many countries.. I import my products monthly.. then I also sell worldwide.. so i know exactly how it works :biggrin: - i don't need to pay the EU a penny :tongue:


You're aware there is trading that goes on at a higher level right? Such as the electricity we're currently buying from France to keep our lights on...

Incidentally, you don't feel that having tariffs suddenly appear to trade with Europe would hurt your trading any?
Well, they have no need to be... I trade GLOBALLY.. what difference is there? If you are talking about Import Duty, taxes etc then I pay those it isn't difficult.. what else is there?! Do we get a special bonus for being a VIP EU member.. and cheap deals.. so generous for the huge money it costs us to be in the club..
Original post by JordanL_
Global trade is more complicated than that. You seem to think that trade deals exist to allow us to import and export.
Original post by Iknowbest
Well, they have no need to be... I trade GLOBALLY.. what difference is there? If you are talking about Import Duty, taxes etc then I pay those it isn't difficult.. what else is there?! Do we get a special bonus for being a VIP EU member.. and cheap deals.. so generous for the huge money it costs us to be in the club..


It costs us about £8b a year to be in the EU. EU trade makes up 15% of our GDP. That's £450 billion. I'm fairly sure £450 billion is bigger than £8 billion.
Well here we go.. TARIFFS suddenly appearing.. BULLY boy tactics like the Sanctions placed on Russia etc .. we are back to the abusive power of large organisations.. like the EU and the good old US of A..

What ever we buy or sell.. it makes no difference. its X amount, until EU so called politicians get involved of course..
Original post by Elivercury
You're aware there is trading that goes on at a higher level right? Such as the electricity we're currently buying from France to keep our lights on...

Incidentally, you don't feel that having tariffs suddenly appear to trade with Europe would hurt your trading any?
So you are saying for sure, we wouldn't have this trade without the EU? I disagree..

Original post by JordanL_
It costs us about £8b a year to be in the EU. EU trade makes up 15% of our GDP. That's £450 billion. I'm fairly sure £450 billion is bigger than £8 billion.
Original post by Iknowbest
So you are saying for sure, we wouldn't have this trade without the EU? I disagree..


If we lost even 2% of that trade we'd lose more than we save.
Original post by Iknowbest
Well here we go.. TARIFFS suddenly appearing.. BULLY boy tactics like the Sanctions placed on Russia etc .. we are back to the abusive power of large organisations.. like the EU and the good old US of A..

What ever we buy or sell.. it makes no difference. its X amount, until EU so called politicians get involved of course..


How is it bully boy tactics...? There are tariffs trading with many (most?) countries, which is the incentive to be part of the free trade area. Shockingly if you leave the free trade area, you no longer get free trade. It's hardly "bully boy tactics". If you stop paying for your mobile phone do you complain they are bullying you by cutting you off?

Even if we do go down the route of proper bullying tactics such as sanctions, depriving us of necessary resources etc. while it's pretty crap for us, it's well within their rights. They've no obligation to trade with us, any more than we've an obligation to trade with them. Crying about it and calling the EU a bully is fairly irrelevant, the situation is what it is.
http://www.niesr.ac.uk/blog/after-brexit-how-important-would-uk-trade-be-eu#.V2JzmjVvwjU

Not too sure where you get your figures to be honest? Could you prove this 15%?

Original post by JordanL_
If we lost even 2% of that trade we'd lose more than we save.

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