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Conditions leading to different levels of development in two contrasting countries of the EU.

 

The European Union is a group of 27 countries that have common goals and close ties to one another.  The EU started as a trading union Between France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands with the added incentive of sustaining peace in Post-World War 2 Europe.  Over tie the Union has grown, adding a common market of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957.  The UK joined in 1973 and the EU has slowly expanded ever since.  The EU has a significant impact upon the lives of EU citizens because;

·         It has policies in place to control food production under the Common Agricultural Policy

·         It can determine national law through the European Court of Justice

·         It controls and allows free movement of EU citizens throughout member countries

·         It promotes easier trade between EU countries so boosting economies

·         It can bail out countries in financial trouble through the European Central Bank

·         It makes big decisions in a democratic way through its elected MEPs at its parliaments in Brussels and Strasbourg

·         It passes laws protecting people’s rights and the environment

·         It tries to even out differences in development between richer member states and poorer member states.

Despite high GDPs, HDI, life expectancies and Literacy rates at a global scale for all members of the EU, there are clear differences between the nations that make up this trading bloc.  These differences can be clearly seen on the choropleth map above, and the GDPs of the member states are not equal by any means.  Generally, those countries that joined most recently in the East of Europe have lower GDPs than longer standing members such as the UK, France and Germany.  Recent problems in Portugal and Greece are highlighted by their GDPs, which are also significantly lower than other areas. 

The general pattern is one of an ECONOMIC CORE of countries where businesses thrive, people have lots of opportunities and are relatively wealthy.  This includes large parts of the UK, Germany, France, Austria and Italy.  Outside of this area is the ECONOMIC PERIPHERY, those areas on the edge of the core that have fewer industries, lower standards of living and fewer opportunities for the people who live there.  These Continental patterns hide further patterns within countries, with the UK being a good example.  The core area for the UK is London and the South East, whereas the North of Scotland and the NE of England Can be considered to be PERIPHERAL areas.

 

Comparing Poland and the UK, 2012 data (CIA Factbook)

 

Poland

UK

Date of entry into the EU

2004

1973

GDP

9,600

27,900

Life expectancy

 

76.25

80.15

Number of doctors per 1,000 people

2.1 per 1000

2.7 per 1000

Unimproved sanitation access

10%

0%

How much of GDP is spent on Education?

4.9%

5.5%

Unemployment rate

12%

7.8%

% of population below poverty line

17%

14%

Population in Millions

38.4

63

 

Reasons for the differences include;
1. The UK has been in the EU longer therefore has had longer to enjoy the trade benefits.
2. The UK is in Europe's Hot or Blue banana, the area that enjoys the most trade
3. Poland took time to change from a communist country to a free market economy after the collapse of the USSR
4. The UK has a more advantageous geographic location for trade - a much larger coastline for ports and in the Atlantic, rather than on the Baltic Sea
 
Think about it
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