EU Referendum debate: some useful sources
22 June 2016
Here are some of the sources which we found useful for factchecking the EU referendum debates.
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General Analysis
- House of Commons Library, the non-partisan research service for MPs.
- UK in a Changing Europe, the academic hub for research on UK-EU relations
- Migration Observatory, at Oxford University
- Balance of Competences Review, the government’s large project looking at the relationship between the EU and UK
EU budget
- To compare what different countries put in and get out, go here
- The European Commission has published the draft 2016 EU budget, and a summary of its uses
- You can also find the multiannual financial framework, which sets ceilings on the EU budget, and the European Commission’s explainer
- UK in a Changing Europe have written a useful guide to the EU Budget
The UK’s financial contribution to the EU
- Treasury figures are here, which include figures for 2015
- ONS figures are in Chapter 9, Table 9.9 of the Pink Book
- The ONS has published a note explaining different components of the UK’s contribution
Impact of leaving
- Report from the House of Commons Library gives a balanced overview of the issues at stake, and the potential impact on key policy areas
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies summarises a range of estimates for the expected long term impact on economic growth and the short term impact on public finances
- The Constitution Unit at University College London has a helpful piece on the process of leaving
Trade
- UK data on trade can be found in the ONS Pink Book, Chapter 9
- EU data on trade in goods can be found here and EU data for trade in services can be found here - this can differ to UK data
Immigration
- The most recent Office for National Statistics report on immigration and emigration is here
- It also has a report on population numbers which show how many immigrants from other EU members are in this country
EU laws
- The Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union are the key treaties now
- All EU law appears on EUR- Lex, including statistics on how many are passed
- All judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union are on Curia
- The EU Law Analysis website publishes useful commentary on new developments