Entry into the single European currency would punish the UK printing industry with protectionist economic policy when the world is becoming more global, the Institute of Printings annual House of Commons debate heard.

Thomas Potts chairman Stephen Hargrave, who opposed the motion "this house believes that the UK printing industry will benefit from full monetary membership of the European Community", also said that success depended upon the UKs "talent and business traditions", not its size.

Hargrave and Cooper Clegg chairman Ian Cooper triumphed by 22 votes to 10 after a lively debate against Goss general manager Shane Lancaster and Jarrold Printing managing director William Mills. It highlighted many of the anxieties facing the industry, particularly web offset printing and machinery manufacture.

Lancaster told how Goss newspaper press business had halved over four years due to competition from Germany, leading to 400 job losses. He said even the most efficient manufacturers, like Nissan, were questioning using the UK as a manufacturing base. The US dollar, Japanese yen and euro would dominate world trade, he concluded.

But despite Cooper Cleggs export business falling from almost 10m in 1996 to less than 500,000 today, Cooper was adamant that entry into the euro would hurt UK printing even more.

"In euroland, unemployment is rising, inflation is higher and government borrowing is higher, and labour laws are inflexible. Its like 12 middle-aged couples with failing marriages meeting in Brussels for a group grope."

Mills countered that entry into the euro would mean currency stability, and reduce the loss of work to continental printers. He also rebuffed the idea that entry would subsequently damage the UKs culture.

"The reality is that we live in a world where cultural and regional identities are becoming more, not less, obvious."

But Hargrave disagreed: "European Commission president Romano Prodi says the euro is first and foremost a political project.

"European Central Bank president Wim Duisenberg says monetary union must go hand in hand with political integration," said Hargrave.

"To run a single economic policy means you must be able to transfer money from one side of Europe to another I dont think people would like their taxes going elsewhere."

He also said that the UKs 9,000 print firms were "probably 4,500 too many" and its 100,000 staff were "probably 50,000 too many".

Story by Gordon Carson