Why are we paying to build Polish roads, when ours have potholes? Something else that makes no sense.
UK taxpayer pays into a £179 billion EU fund and receives NOTHING back.
UK is funding the new infrastructure of 15 EU countries, in a massive EU wealth transfer scheme
This will continue, under Mrs May’s surrender treaty. Remain MPs and campaigners are fond of talking about the ‘EU money’ which is received for projects in the UK. Well, here’s a £179 BILLION EU fund which British taxpayers pay into, but from which the UK receives absolutely nothing back.
UK pays for new roads & green agenda for 15 EU countries
The EU has thousands of funds. One of the more significant is called the ‘Cohesion Fund’. The EU describes it as being:-
“allocated to trans-European transport networks and to projects falling under EU environmental priorities”
It’s spent by the 15 qualifying EU member states on improving their roads, railways, and waterways, as well as projects falling under ‘environment protection, low-carbon economy, and climate change’.
In the EU’s current 7-year budget for 2014–2020, this fund has been allocated €63.3 billion euros — approximately £54 billion GBP.
This is all part of a much bigger project. After 2020, “the European Commission has proposed that the EU spends €373 billion in the next programme period, 2021–2027, on cohesion policy”.
QUESTIONS FOR REMAIN MPS
Did you even know about this £54 BILLION EU fund?
When did you approve a wealth transfer scheme from the UK to other members of the EU?
45% is spent on ‘climate change projects — is this an appropriate share for this, for such a large fund?
If it is, why should this expenditure be restricted to just 15 member states?
Why does just one country (Poland) receive 36.7% of the total fund?
The unelected EU Commission decides where the money goes — shouldn’t you have a say?
Do you think the EU should be re-thinking funds like this to see where savings could be made, rather than expecting the UK to continue funding the development of 15 countries?
Are there not parts of the UK that badly need new road and rail infrastructure?
Would your constituents not prefer their own roads fixed and rail services improved, instead?
Who gets this money?
Despite contributing to the fund, the UK receives nothing at all from it.
The fund is in effect a wealth transfer scheme to 15 EU countries, ostensibly aimed at standardizing cross-border transport and energy infrastructure. It also advances the EU’s climate change agenda.
The current recipients are from the following 15 countries:
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Cyprus
As readers can see, Poland is by far the biggest individual recipient of this 179 billion fund, receiving an astonishing 37% of the entire amount.
Two examples of the use of funds
1. New Polish roads
The overcrowded S5 motorway in Poland“Once completed, these highways will provide new economic opportunities for citizens and businesses in Poland, stimulating industry, tourism, and trade. Polish citizens will thus be able to benefit from shorter travel times and improved road safety.”
EU’s Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Creţu, 06 Sept 2018
2. Croatian Inland Waterways
In another example we looked at, the Croatian government says:“ The goal is, therefore, to improve and restore the inland waterway system in Croatia, in order to make it more attractive and specific in comparison with other modes of transport.”
Croatian Government website
Many readers will live in areas where the roads are in disrepair, and train, tram, and underground services are well below standard.
Well, at least you can rest easy at night, knowing that you’ve been paying for wonderful new roads and metro stations in Poland, and paying for the Croatian waterway system to look nice.
All of this is courtesy of the UK taxpayer.
The even better news is that you will keep on paying, under Mrs May’s surrender treaty, otherwise known as the ‘Withdrawal Agreement’.
IMPORTANT POINT: Don’t blame the Poles, Croatians, or any other recipients of the UK taxpayers’ largesse. All these projects are badged as being “Funded by the European Union”. Just as UK taxpayers have no idea that they’re paying for all of this, neither do the people in the countries receiving these massive funds. They just think it comes “from the EU”.
