Gov't report says Britain has no better alternative to remaining in EU

No existing model outside the European Union (EU) can provide Britain with the same advantages and influence it enjoys from remaining in the bloc, a British government report said Wednesday.

The British government on Wednesday published a report to examine possible alternatives to the country's membership in the EU, setting out the features and implications of main existing models for the relationship if Britain votes to leave the bloc.

The report gave a case-by-case analysis of EU's relations with Norway, Switzerland, Canada and Turkey, which are not members of the EU but have their own arrangements with the organization.

It concluded that "no existing model outside the EU comes close to providing the same balance of advantages and influence that we get from the UK's current status inside the EU."

The report stressed that each of the alternative models would come with "significant obligations and costs for the UK," including the UK losing its vote and vetoes, and consequently, its influence over EU decisions and how EU laws are written.

"Under any of these alternatives, there would also be a non-economic cost, in terms of the UK's security and strength," noted the report. Alternative models provide "no guarantee that we could fully replace our access to the current measures for police and security cooperation," the report said.

Britain will hold a referendum on whether to remain in the EU on June 23. Last month, British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on a package of changes to his country's membership in the EU after two days of marathon talks with leaders of other member states at an EU summit.

The British government's official position is that Britain should stay in a reformed EU, but a number of high profile politicians, including several cabinet ministers and London mayor Boris Johnson, have openly expressed support for a Brexit. Endit