Editorial: Our home in Europe

THERE is a school of thought in Spain at the moment which says that expatriate Britons are getting younger and have come to Spain in search of a better life and employment. It is young families who are moving to Spain at the moment rather than people who just want to retire in the sun. So thank goodness that Spain doesn´t have its own version of the United Kingdom Independence Party who are seeking to put a brake on immigration from other member states. One of the reasons why young Britons are coming to Spain is because thanks to Britain´s membership of the European Union you are no longer required to have a work permit. You can also vote in council and European elections. Now, UKIPmay strike a chord with some British expatriates but Ithink that our lives in Spain have been made easier by the European Union. When I first started work here you needed a work permit which involved much paperwork and there was no guarantee that it would be granted. There are one million British citizens living in Spain, about two percent of the population. I think you can say that we have been welcomed to Spain with opened arms. You could say that we are the true Europeans who have shown that European integration can work. If Britain does want to leave the European Union then it should do, but it would be a big shame. It is easy to knock the European Union but it is easier to make change from within than from outside.