What good has European Union done for you?

[molly bloom]

You can now get more porn in the United Kingdom, legally.

Before if you went to the Netherlands or Belgium or France on a day trip and purchased some hot c0cky sex fun then it would have had the effect of turning you into some raving mad filth monster by the time you disembarked back in Blighty.

At least that seemed to be reasoning of Her Madge's customs.

Similarly, Eurocoms could be trusted to watch 'Clockwork Orange', available to hire from video shops or to purchase, but across the English Channel in Angleterre your eyes would have fallen out of your head, and like the Scala Cinema in King's Cross, you could have found yourself confronted with the boys in blue.

[Last Conformist]

I rather like the Erasmus exchange student programme.

EU entry made food prices fall to merely astronomical levels here, which is a good thing.

I would have said removing currency barriers, but unfortunately my cretinous compatriots voted to keep us outside the euro. Still, when I lived in Germany, going over to NL or Belgium without having to change money was nice.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Combat Ingrid


ehm

Edit: I see you corrected yourself

A typo that I noticed as soon as the post had been submitted...

[Spiffor]

Re: What good has European Union done for you?

Originally posted by VetLegion
What good has EU done for you personally? This is a serious question. Thanks for replies.

Well, I have spent the past 5 years being an exchange student between Bordeaux and Stuttgart.

At the beginning of my studies, the Euro wasn't in our pockets. Whenever I came in Paris back from Germany, I had to take some Francs at the ATM of the station, in order to buy my subway tickets. Since the ATM only gives banknotes, I couldn't buy my tickets at the ticket-machine, but I had to do a very long queue for the salesman. It may sound absurd, but the Euro really made a difference for me in this regard.

Less specifically, but more importantly, I don't have to pay any fee when I'm taking money at any German ATM with my French card. No change fees, no transactions fees, no nothing. Considering that my French bank account has always been my prioritary one, it has proven extremely convenient in Germany: basically, I could behave with my banking card in the same way in both coutries.

Another thing is social security. Even during the years when I studied in Stuttgart, the seat of my uni was Bordeaux, where I had to subscribe to the student's social security. Thanks to the EU, I just had to show a form to the German social security (the E111/E128 form), so that I could benefit from free healthcare without paying an extra dime.
Recently, the EU has decided of a common "European card of Social Security" (about 1 year ago). It's very convenient for travellers, as you only have to carry it with you to benefit from free healthcare in the country you're in. Also, when I worked in Germany, my status in the French social security regime meant that I had no Social-Security-tax to pay.

Another little thing that I can thank Europe for, is that I am never stopped at the border by the tolls. I have never travelled by train at the time of the ID checks at the toll, but I remember the humongous time we spent doing so in the car, during my youth. Something I definitely don't miss.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by germanos
VetLegion, don't expect the EU to do anything for you, you will be disappoimnted.

Have you ever been in a city belonging to the new EU members? Nearly all of the public-interest construction sites are sponsored by the EU. Personally, I've never seen as many EU flags than when I went through Bratislava

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by VetLegion
About currency - did those of you who travel expirience any commodity price convergence?

I have no bloody idea. I go to different kinds of supermarkets in France and Germany, which means that the price-difference doesn't necessarily come from the country, but from the style of the supermarket.

I can only say this: In Vienna, the kebab costs 2 to 2.5€. In Stuttgart, it costs 2.5 to 3€. In Paris, you'll generally find it for 4€.

[duke o' york]

Which tastes the best? Or are you too drunk to care at that point?

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Yeah, until the Department of Homeland Security started arresting people for driving down the street to buy gasoline as a gas station many border towns were effectively one town. It's weird how there's no signs and the two tiny towns have merged into one town with the grocery store on one side of the border while the gas station in on the other side, but, DoHLS wants to arrest people for illegal entry for living as they've lived for 150 years in that town.

Maybe in some wierd instances, but largely there is still (and always has been) a border checkpoint you have to cross.

I have to say though, as someone who crosses the US/Canada border multiple times a year and has done so since well before 9/11, the operations at the border haven't changed at all. Its still just as easy as ever to get to the country you're headed to. Of course, this is the eastern border I'm talking about (VT/QC; ME, NB), maybe the western ones have gotten more hard core.

[Provost Harrison]

Perhaps it is time for the UK to join the Euro. From what I can tell our economy is going to go down the pan anyway, so what harm can it do?

[Spiffor]

I must say that I was very surprised by a Parisian kebab I ate recently. But on average, I like Stuttgart's bast. Germany has the most elite Turks in the world

[Provost Harrison]

I had a kebab in Potsdam...not bad. You know, when in Rome...

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
Perhaps it is time for the UK to join the Euro. From what I can tell our economy is going to go down the pan anyway, so what harm can it do?

It'll be even more expansive when you eat out

More seriously, before joining the Euro, join the damn Shengen area already! :doitnow:

Border-control and immigration forms really are a farce, and a farce one must face whenever he takes the Eurostar!

[Barinthus]

I have a question here...

Are products' prices same all over EU or does it vary from region to region?

[duke o' york]

Regional variation is the norm.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Spiffor

It'll be even more expansive when you eat out

More seriously, before joining the Euro, join the damn Shengen area already! :doitnow:

Border-control and immigration forms really are a farce, and a farce one must face whenever he takes the Eurostar!

True, it's a right pain in the arse. But I think the concern is that the most significant part of the immigrants are trying to head here. In theory I am pro Schengen and pro Euro