In just under three months, the 15 existing EU members will be joined by a further 10 states, drawn mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Arguments over the potential impact of this development are already heating up.
A poll produced by the Forum of Private Businesses (FPB) and the Institute for Independent Businesses (IIB) shows 38.4% of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) think that the 10 accession countries will provide a boost to the UK economy.
However, 43.3% argue that the new entrants would have the reverse affect, while just under 11% of respondents to the poll had no opinion and 7.4% admitted they did not know.
Officially, UK businesses are happy to allow people from an enlarged EU into the country, as long as there are safeguards in place to ensure they work and pay tax.
