In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, Time magazine has published a very curious list of the 20 greatest perks of a united Europe :-

1. Peace - can't argue with this one
2. The (French) countryside - I can't buy that the lack of a Common Agricultural Policy would consign pastoral France to the waste bin, although there is undoubtedly a small grain of truth in this. However it is undoubtedly true that subsidies to European farmers have effectively closed the European market to millions of struggling farmers in the Third World. A fair deal for farmers in the developing world or picturesque holidays in Provence for the Middle Classes? Tricky one...
3. Easier travel - deregulation of flights has been an undoubted success, although the effects on the environment of the subsequent increase in air travel have been an unexpected side-effect.
4. Ireland's revival - anyone who has visited Ireland in the last few years and seen how many redevelopment projects are underwritten by EU funds (look for the blue flag with yellow stars everywhere) will recognise the truth of this.
5. The Schengen Agreement (common border control among most countries, although not the UK and Ireland)- not having to go through passport control is a great convenience, although I'm sure illegal immigrants and terrorists are its most ardent fans.
6. GSM - developed in Europe to the benefit of all.
7. Work where you want - freedom to move and work throughout the EU is a brave and important step forward by the EU, particularly in light of the entry of the East European nations. All those who criticise anti-free market policies followed by the EU should take careful note (ironically in my experience these "free marketeers" are the same people who rail at the Poles taking our jobs).
8. Support for regional minorities - while powerful nations worry about Europe diluting their national identity, it should be noted how much the EU does for minorities. In my experience, cultures under threat express themselves much more strongly than those which are not. Ask someone what it means to be Scottish, Welsh or Irish and they're likely to give you a much clearer answer than if you ask what it means to be English.
9. CERN - not just for contributions to particle physics, but also the invention of the World Wide Web - individual European nations would never have swallowed the costs involved in this project.
10. The Euro - a subject too vast to cover here, but undoubtedly a great achievement.
11. Airbus - struggling, but for the consumer a very welcome barrier to the dominance of Boeing.
12. Better football - I disagree with this one. Football at its best is not a business. The Bosman ruling, while a logical extension of the freedom of movement legislation, has only assisted the dominance of the richest clubs and taken away the idea of football clubs as representing their local area in any meaningful sense forever.
13. The ERASMUS programme - a very worthy programme providing international study opportunities for millions of students.
14. Tabloid heaven - What? You've got to be kidding with this one. The fact that anti-European propaganda has provided revenue opportunities for these lying, xenophobic and sexist rags is a tragedy.
15. Beethoven's Ninth - the writer was obviously running out of ideas at this point. Nice tune, that's all.
16. Clean beaches - Europe's beaches have without doubt improved immeasurably in the last twenty years across Europe, helped by the imposition and enforcing of EU standards.
17. Safer food - not so sure about this. Statistics have suggested that Mad Cow Disease almost certainly would have had cases elsewhere in Europe due to export from the UK but strangely none were found. Britain has got its act together due to necessity. I'm not sure how much has been tightened up across the Channel and how much is covered up.
18. Climate change - yes, Europe has been at the forefront of environmental policy, and still is. A political stance to be proud of.
19. Go to Brussels - I went, and it seemed to be closed. Take my advice and stay in Bruges instead.
20. Eastward expansion - perhaps the most important achievement behind no. 1.

There may be much disagreement over the relative merits of the above, but to my mind the first point on its own provides more than sufficient justification for European integration. The continent had been a battlefield for all of recorded time up to 1945. The fact that it is now almost impossible to conceive of war within EU nations is a remarkable achievement. We can still argue over how to proceed with this project but we argue as family members not as potential assailants. Happy Birthday EU.