According to this report published today by the TaxPayers' Alliance, less than half of Britain's £9 billion annual contribution to the European Union Budget comes back to the country in the form of EU grants.
And the report's author, Dr Lee Rotherham, has been rifling through the information for the latest year available, 2007, to identify the kinds of projects on which this money is used.
Here are just a few of the examples he has uncovered of where EU money is being distributed in Britain:
- Oxford University received a number of EU grants, one of which was towards its Explaining Religion programme (EXREL), which “seeks to understand both what is universal and cross-culturally variant in religious traditions as well as the cognitive mechanisms that undergird religious thinking and behaviour”. Value of grant: £1,369,677.
- Consilia has been given considerable EU funds for "the Implementation of the Eures Information and Communications Strategy", which amounts to training in spin for EU officials. Value of grants: £458,565.
- The Centreprise Trust was part of a consortium awarded a grant to run a carnival "to enable European citizens to better access and understand the history and creativity of people of African descent, and will thus foster intercultural dialogue through enjoyment”. Value of grant: £136,678.
- A considerable number of organisations have been given money for promotional free gifts in
connection with EU PR campaigns. These include pin badges, pencils, rubbers, T-shirts, clocks, mousemats, keyfobs, stickers, tote bags, rulers, USB memory sticks etc. Value of grants: Over £68,000.
Jonathan Isaby
