My opinion is that the EU must be politically based not nationally...it can never advance more than it is by petty country interests...the countries like the uk being decentralised might be a long term target by certain politicians....More local industries for local needs and electrical power being a european plan rather than country by country mish mash..

I think that the EU is the best hope for the future of the world- just half a century back Europe emerged from centuries of the most bloody warfare the world has ever seen. Now it is becoming a united enity. However it is too capatlilist and neoliberal at present. I think that the EU has great potential if it only escapes the influence and idealogies of America. I think that free trade agreements are an abomination that can only perpetuate poverty and destroy local industries and buissnesses. I would like my own country (the UK) to cancel its free trade agreements.

It depends of how you see it tough. From the point of view of humanity, free trade agreements mean one less of the many barriers that divide humans into groups that fight against each other. (Not just militar fight, but also political, economic, etc) But if you see from the point of view of the countries its a different matter and depends a lot from the situation at hand.

free trade agreements have little or nothing to do with 'lowering barriers' other than the 'barrier' of fair buisness practices.

They are not done with that goal but they are a step towards it anyway.

And bussiness fairness is quite relative... is it fair for a country to manipulate taxes aiming at protecting its industries, while it tries to convince other countries to lower the taxes for their own products?

But in the long term it benefits neither the countries who import the goods, and those who export them. In the rich countries industries are decimated by cheap foreign imports, and in poor countries normal economic progress is halted so that they continue to be economic vassals to the west. The only people who benefit are a very small group of very rich and powerful people. It is a system designed to maintain global poverty, to break the power of the unions and to prevent people having the audacity to actually better themselves, against all the odds.

Thats a social and political problem, winhout free-trade it will happen anyway, except that in a smaller scale inside the countries thenselves.

But within our own countries we have a minimum wage, legislation restricting unfair treatment of workers and we would have strong trade unions too if it wasn't for free trade agreements destroying the power base of the working classes. That is part of the motive behind free trade agreements, in wealthy countries(though I am drawing mostly on my experiance of Britian on this one) the working classes had deveolped political power due to its effective hold on the industrial sector, so the industrial sector was eliminated and outsourced to the east where the working classes were subjegated.

These exist because there is no reason to destroy then, since free-trade agreements exist. If they didnt existed, there would be conflict with the upper classes trying to worsen the situation of the lower classes again... ending trade agreements is not the solution, making people (from all classes) be happy with the idea of fairness is... now, just dont ask me how to do that

Norway should Vote Yes

I would be most pleased to see Norway enter the EU. Being a rather Euroskeptic country, this could help fight the European Federalist's. Who would like too see a more federal Europe, which I'm completly against. It's my wish too see Europe as an economic union and promoter of worldwide free trade, not the political europe that it is becoming. There a huge fundamental problems in the Political institutions within the EU, with a remarkable democratic deficit. It has often been argued that if the EU applied to join itself, it would be refused entry because it's not democratic enough.

Im in favour of a wider, less politically focused EU supporting the growth of free trade and removing such protectionist measures such as the CAP. If this was it's goal, it could really help make the world a better place.

In no way is free trade a form of economic slavery. If your serious about ridding the world of poverty, it should start with Free Trade. Free Trade benefits everyone, some of the protectionist measures, such as CAP have damaged poor african farmers while also inflating the level of our food price's. How is this a positive outcome for anyone? The EU should keep the internal free trade measures while opening up the EU too free trade by removing all tarrif's on imports entering the EU. The power of true free trade is no way a myth.