The European Union defines itself as “a unique economic and political partnership between 27 democratic European countries” (1) which ostensibly aims to promote “peace, prosperity and freedom for its 495 million citizens – in a more just and safer world” (1). While this may be a noble sentiment, in reality the EU is an inefficient bureaucratic mess. I am convinced that, although the European Union is fundamentally a good idea, it is turning into an anti-democratic kleptocracy that will gradually begin to remove our civil liberties, while causing serious damage to many sectors, including the environment and society. A key issue is that the European Union is undeniably useless, especially considering the current costs we have to bear. For example, countries separated (but connected) by the European Free Trade Association and Switzerland enjoy the same free trade and movement as EU member countries, without having to pay the huge costs. Another example is the EADS company, which produces Airbus, Eurofighter and Eurocopter aircraft. EADS is indeed a brilliant and very profitable European company, born from the merger of almost all European aerospace companies, but it was formed without much help from the EU, so this is another example that shows that the expensive European Union does not it is necessary and useless. The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) once again demonstrates the EU's lack of necessity. The CAP was designed to make Europe self-sufficient in food after the low agricultural productivity caused by the Second World War. By 1970, it had more than achieved this goal, primarily through the highest agricultural subsidies in the world (2). These subsidies usually end up going to the largest and richest farms, for example €58 billion goes to only 18% of farms and... middle of paper... fruit rules. BBC News. [Online] 12 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7723808.stm.7. Independent. June 30, 2004.8. Ghiatis, Georgios. Budgetary control: 1996 discharge raises questions of trust in the Commission. European Parliament elections. [Online] 1999. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/election/bilan/en/pf1901en.htm.9. EU accounts fail for 13th year. BBC News. [Online] BBC, 13 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7092102.stm.10. Klaus, Vaclav. Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament. December 5, 2008.11. Questions and answers: the Treaty of Lisbon. BBC News. [Online] BBC, 24 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6901353.stm.12. Smyth, Patrick. This is not a “self-modifying” treaty. Irish weather. [Online] 28 September 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0928/1224255367818.html.