Comments by "looseycanon" (@looseycanon) on "3 Reasons Joining the EU Might Not Always be a Great Idea" video.
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Yeah, brain drain is not about the EU. Sure, moving may be simpler, but if you have wage differences in area of between 200 and 300% of what you'll earn in your country, people will move even over mined borders. I live in Czechia, our median wage 39685 CZK (according to our statistical bureau), while minimum economic wage (also known as living wage) is around 47000 a month. Minimum wage is 18900 CZK. And we're still wondering why are people leaving, when in Germany is 1584€. which is approximately 40000 CZK. We already have similar prices as Germans and our companies are some of the most profitable ones in the world. Our workers provide very similar value to the German ones. Why don't we raise the minimum wage to match Germans? And I am quite certain, that you'd find similar problems all over the EU. Hell, Romania and Austria had a timber based scandal fairly recently, with Austria exporting free lumber from Romania. Also, given what's happening now in Hungary and Slovakia, I'm pretty sure, you'd find people domestic politics as reason for them to leave.
As to the single market, well... it's not unified. we Czechs pay far more for mobile data than Germans or French, and cellular providers are whining over us still monkey branching between WiFis... That one is likely a problem of the EU, because it doesn't force a rule, that would make same good/service sold in all countries to actually be the same for the same price... Hopefully, we'll get there one day.
As to regional inequality, that would have happened regardless. Business is better done from a hub, for which capitals are predisposed. It is true, however, that the EU (and nimbyism) is throwing some stones under the wheels. Because of nonsensical environmental policies, manufacturing (particularly heavy manufacturing) has left Europe for China and other low wage nations, and major factories is the one thing, that will never be in a country's capitol. Just look at Mladá Boleslav, how some 60% of the city is just factories belonging to a single brand! That you won't find elsewhere. And then there is the issue of employers being able to force people into offices, which also forces internal migration from countryside to the capitol. But that's two out of three reasons not being even associated with the EU!
Italy is not a good example to give for Euro being a problem. Italy has Japan levels of development and wealth creation in the North and damn near Sudan levels in the South, dragging it back. Their lack of growth is not because of Euro, rather, they don't have the Rhein and Elbe, they are in a choked sea, one one end with Suez, on the other with Gibraltar, they have to cross the Alps to get to the rest of the EU for trade. Furthermore, tourism, something they banked heavily on, doesn't generate enough wealth to sustain itself. Famously, Venice is literally falling apart due to overtourism and people don't spend there enough to fix the city. As to saying, that countries prefer their own currencies... well highlighting Bulgaria for it is disingenuous the least, given they are on track to have Euro by 2026 at the latest and Croatia literally adopted the Euro two or three years ago! Let us also not forget, that Russia still has contacts in post-communist countries and has incentive not to allow their former satellites to further integrate with the EU. Public discourse should therefore be taken with a pinch of salt.
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