Just how wrong is the Brexiteer view of an anti-market EU? Ask Canada or Australia

Just how wrong is the Brexiteer view of an anti-market EU? Ask Canada or Australia, write Craig Parsons and Benedikt Springer. Brexiteers have frequently characterized the EU as a regulatory nightmare that impedes Britain's traditional commitment to global openness and free trade. Well-informed observers generally know this is implausible-the EU is built around deep "single market" liberalisation, and promotes free-trade deals worldwide-but even experts rarely realize just how much the EU stands out for cross-border openness. In many ways, the Single Market now has fewer interstate barriers than the national markets of Canada, Australia, or the United States. Canadian and Australian moves to liberalize their own markets have been directly inspired by the EU model.