Benefits of EU Membership
Joining the EU is said to provide member states with a list of advantages. These will include membership at the different European financial institutions. Generally, there are several European Financial Institutions. The European Central Bank (ECB) maintains the Euro's purchasing power and price stability. The European Investment Bank (EIB) raises funds for capital projects to the EU's objectives. The European Investment Fund (EIF) handles venture capital and serves as the guarantee agency of the EU. Reading this reference will help you understand some of the benefits of joining the EU. How would member states be affected if they decided to leave the union?
Non-monetary benefits of EU membership
OBB calculations fail to account for benefits that cannot be computed quantitatively and can only be appreciated qualitatively. Nevertheless, they remain of utmost importance for citizens and countries: they span from advantages that can be noted in daily life (e.g. free mobility of citizens in the choice of their residence country, food safety) to general principles (e.g. democracy, peace, security). These policies have large political and economic returns, but only receive a relatively minor share of EU spending. Therefore, indicators that are based on budgetary payments like Operating budgetary balances are inherently incapable of accounting for these benefits of EU membership.
