Get the facts on how the EU works

7 May 2019

The UK won’t have to adopt the Euro by 2020

Even if the UK is still in the EU next year, the Lisbon treaty does not force it to adopt the Euro. The UK has an opt-out from this.

20 March 2019

EU member countries don’t all have to join the Euro by 2020

The UK and Denmark both have opt-outs to joining the Euro and seven other countries only have to join once they’ve fulfilled certain requirements.

28 February 2019

UK taxpayers aren’t subsidising France’s 35-hour working week

The EU budget is not spent on subsidising the French or German working week, or transport and utilities systems.

29 November 2018

Can Spain really veto the withdrawal bill?

This article is part of our Ask Full Fact series on Brexit, answering your questions about Brexit and the latest negotiations between the UK and the EU.

13 September 2018

Three things you might want to know about the government’s preparations for a No Deal Brexit

A number of new guidance documents came out today, and we’ve picked out just three things that could directly affect you.

31 August 2018

This claim about the UK's EU contribution is correct, but meaningless

Since 2000 the UK has made a net contribution to the EU of £122 billion in today’s money.

13 July 2018

The UK is one of the biggest contributors to the EU budget

The UK has been the third or fourth largest contributing country to the EU budget in recent years, and of the 28 member states is one of 10 to contribute more than it gets back in receipts.

10 July 2018

Do EU rules prevent safer lorries?

Lorry design specifications are set by the EU, but the UK initially opposed its plans to allow safer lorries on the road.

25 April 2018

How the EU works: what is the customs union?

The EU’s customs union was first established in 1968 by the six founding member states of the current EU (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands).

2 November 2017

Is the EU’s budget ‘signed off’ by auditors?

It’s often argued both that the EU’s budget hasn’t been signed off by the auditors for years, and that it’s consistently given a clean bill of health.

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How the EU works

The UK won’t have to adopt the Euro by 2020

EU member countries don’t all have to join the Euro by 2020

UK taxpayers aren’t subsidising France’s 35-hour working week

Can Spain really veto the withdrawal bill?

Three things you might want to know about the government’s preparations for a No Deal Brexit

This claim about the UK's EU contribution is correct, but meaningless

The UK is one of the biggest contributors to the EU budget

Do EU rules prevent safer lorries?

How the EU works: what is the customs union?

Is the EU’s budget ‘signed off’ by auditors?

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