EU’s ‘Level Playing Field’ is as uneven as ever, according to latest official data

Average hourly wage costs across EU countries still vary by up to six times

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024

The Commission may claim one thing, but the reality for ordinary people is very different

On Wednesday last week (27 Mar 2024) the EU Commission released the latest results from its survey of average wages in the 27 EU member countries. These reveal the continuing massive disparities across the EU’s empire.

For years the Facts4EU.Org team have researched and published numerous reports on the Commission’s failure to ‘level up’. These have included the level of average wages being paid (the subject of today’s report),state subsidies, statutory minimum wages, unemployment rates, workers’ rights, and many other topics.

In each case the disparities across the bloc are very large and affect hundreds of millions of people. These reports have continuously belied the belief system of Remainer-Rejoiners who seem to think everything is better in the EU. Today we publish another report which demonstrates this is not the case

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Average hourly wage costs across the EU, 2023

Luxembourg : € 53.9
Denmark : € 48.1
Belgium : € 47.1
Netherlands : € 43.3
France : € 42.2
Germany : € 41.3
Austria : € 40.9
Ireland : € 40.2
Sweden : € 38.9
Finland : € 37.1
Italy : € 29.8
Slovenia : € 25.5
Spain : € 24.6
Cyprus : € 20.1
Estonia : € 18.3
Czechia : € 18.0
Slovakia : € 17.2
Portugal : € 17.0
Greece : € 15.7
Lithuania : € 14.7
Poland : € 14.5
Croatia : € 14.4
Malta : € 14.2
Latvia : € 13.5
Hungary : € 12.8
Romania : € 11.0
Bulgaria : € 9.3

[Source : EU Commission (Eurostat), 27 Mar 2024.]

Below is the graphic representation of the EU’s ‘Level Playing Field’
(With countries in alphabetical order)

How does the United Kingdom compare?

Unfortunately there are no directly comparable figures for the UK, as different EU countries include different elements in their wage costs, such as social security.

What we can tell readers is that the median annual salary in the UK last year was £34,963 (approx €40,557 euros). However this does not include all extra costs added on by some EU countries.

Many EU countries still do not have a minimum or living wage

Countries in the EU with no minimum wage legislation are : Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden. Others have no legislation but rely on workers’ agreements.

And as we pointed out in previous reports, for decades the UK led the way in so many areas of employee protection, far out-pacing the EU.

Observations

As can be seen above, the idea of the EU having “a Level Playing Field” continues to be for the birds.

Yet this was a major factor when the EU negotiated with the UK over its Withdrawal Agreement and its Trade and Cooperation Agreement. In each case we would have laughed their negotiators out of the room

Unfortunately when Theresa May was in charge there was constant acquiescence. By the time Boris Johnson came to power and Lord David Frost was negotiating with the EU, far too much had already been agreed.

None of the above will matter to Remainer-Rejoiners

Over the years we have found that it doesn’t matter what official facts are presented to Remainer-Rejoiners, they simply do not want to hear them.

We will simply end with this. If Remainer-Rejoiners think the EU’s empire represents some form of workers’ paradise, they are in for a big disappointment.

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[ Sources: EU Commission | ONS ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sun 31 Mar 2024

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Reader Comments 9

1. Sparky , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 07:06:

Average salaries in the UK are uneven. Median weekly pay for FT, London £796, South East £724, North East £614, Northern Ireland £643. Plenty or reasons for the differences, supply, demand, skills, market etc etc.
.
Brexitears like to define Rejoiners/Remoaners by assuming that they love the EU etc, that is just Gaslighting. The UK was simply better off finaincially inside the EU, (see OBR report for last budget) and the mess created by this Govt has proved it.
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UK is proud of how it has led on areas of employment protection, but this is the sort of "red tape" that was conveniently blamed on the EU or as the UK agreed to measures within the EU the UK Govt "Gold Plated" it for the UK.

2. ste , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 08:26:

dear sparkless, IT DOES NOT MATTER if in your eyes SOME of the people in the UK were better off in the EU, DEMOCRACY, FREE SPEECH, and ACCOUNTABILITY was NOT !!, why can't you see that brexit was not about money?, you CANNOT build a free prosperous fair society without that !!

3. Not4EU, London , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 08:36:

With Bulgaria & Romania bottom of their league, I wonder what will happen now that they've both been admitted to the Schengen area, announced today by fond of lying? Can anyone guess?
I was quite surprised to hear this news as, as far as I'm aware, both countries are still in 'special monitoring review' measures as they still haven't reached the 'minimum standards' for EU membership, 20 years after they were admitted to membership despite failing the criteria.

4. NH , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 09:56:

"Over the years we have found that it doesn’t matter what official facts are presented to Remainer-Rejoiners, they simply do not want to hear them"
.
1. Sparky, "The UK was simply better off financially inside the EU"
.
Facts4EU make the above statement and you immediately prove them right by ignoring the facts and using a widely discredited remain organisation as your reference. The OBR has repeatedly admitted that it is a terrible at economic forecasting organisation in it's own "Evaluating Forecasting Accuracy Reports".
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If you want to back up your claim why not use the masses of readily available factual information. You can compare GDP growth rates and show how the UK would have benefitted from being a major funder of the Sure scheme, the 2 Trillion Euro NextgenEU scheme and the other major support programmes. Maybe you want to compare the factual information which shows the EU performance compared with other regions of the world.
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I am not expecting any detailed factual reply because I have learnt from experience that remainers don't do facts. They prefer to quote each other and produce ridiculous forecasts.

5. Gazzablack , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 10:54:

3, Not4EU
.
20% of people born in Romania now live abroad.
EU freedom of movement is at least partially responsible for this.
There has been a significant exodus of people from the other Eastern EU countries as well.
.
1, Sparky Macsparkface
.
The OBR (which couldn't forecast snow in the middle of a blizzard) is staffed on the whole by former "Resolution Foundation" members.
The "Resolution Foundation" was affiliated with the left wing Labour "Momentum" movement"
They are not a reliable source of analysis.
.
And ALL of the "workers rights & protections" in the UK were derived and implemented by UK governments.
The EU merely played catchup
And of course the EU's self lauded "freedom of movement' rules undermine workers rights, because it includes the "freedom of establishment"

6. Sparky , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 14:57:

You guys are so funny. OBR is now a remainer organisation because it doesn’t give the information you want to hear. You seem to forget that the LT budget caused issues because LT and KK didn’t use OBR forecasts.
.
Britains economy £311bn worse off according to a study by Cambridge Econometrics. Leaving the EU had already cost the UK £140bn.
.
Some UK cars being exported to Canada are facing 6% tariffs from next week.
.
Don’t forget the waste being spent on border posts.
.
As for democracy, does it feel like we have that with a Govt most want out led by an unelected PM after several changes following a proven liar as PM and MP being forced out for a variety of scandals.
.
To coin a phrase “It’s the economy stupid”

7. Captain Thunderbolt , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 18:05:

6. Sparky , Sunday, March 31, 2024, 14:57:
You guys are so funny. OBR is now a remainer organisation because it doesn’t give the information you want to hear. You seem to forget that the LT budget caused issues because LT and KK didn’t use OBR forecasts.
.
no one said that Sparky, people question the OBR because they have not got a forecast right yet, people question the basics on how they come to the conclusions when majority of the modeling is based on incorrect data.
=
Britains economy £311bn worse off according to a study by Cambridge Econometrics. Leaving the EU had already cost the UK £140bn.
.
Did they jump into the DeLorean and venture into a parallel timeline. in which the EU economy has not slumped into recession 2023. what that means sparkless is that consumers in the EU are tightening their belt and spending habits, which affects those that trade with the EU
=
Some UK cars being exported to Canada are facing 6% tariffs from next week.
.
Are you advocating that the UK lower its food standards?
That is what Canada wants in exchange. if you think the EU are playing tough on non-tariff barriers now imagine what will happen if the UK drops its opposition into red meat. then you would really squeal like a stuck pig
=
To coin a phrase “It’s the economy stupid”
.
rejoin-remain are a broken record the only argument they know and the reason why they lost the referendum noting their own forecasts for the UK were wrong

8. Gazzablack , Monday, April 01, 2024, 01:03:

6, sparkless
.
Just to note Hiroo.
a, Prior to 2010 government didn't base fiscal policy on OBR forecasts, there was no OBR.
b, The OBR is notorious for getting forecasts wrong
c, As the OBR is not accountable to the electorate, government shouldn't be effectively franchising out fiscal policy to them.
We elect governments to govern, not unelected quangos
.
As regards to tariffs on UK cars
Included in the continuity FTA (as regards to 'rules of origin'), vehicle components sourced from the EU were regarded as UK components.
This was a time limited aspect of the continuity FTA, and that limit has been reached.
.
But just think about what thiis will lead to Sparkless.
The reshoring of components to the UK from the EU to comply with 'rules of origin'
The sourcing of components from CPTPP members.
CPTPP rules of origin allow content from all members to be "cumulated".
So if a car must have 70% CPTPP content to qualify for preferential tariffs, that 70% can come from any combination of CPTPP countries
.
So it will be the EU that is disadvantaged in the longer term, not the UK

9. NH , Monday, April 01, 2024, 10:13:

6. Sparky, "Britains economy £311bn worse off according to a study by Cambridge Econometrics"
.
Do you know that the European Commission is one of Cambridge Econometrics biggest customers. They do so much work for the European Commission that the opened an office in Brussels. This is their only overseas office.
.
As I said you ignore the economic facts and you just quote remainer organisations and their ridiculous forecasts.

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