We talk a lot about it without really knowing what we’re talking about…
A bit of clarity might help to set the clocks right… and prevent hearing nonsense over and over again.
It might be acceptable for the average citizen, but from some elected officials…
The majority of the European budget comes directly from the member states. Each country contributes according to its national wealth and receives a portion in return.
Who are the main contributing countries? And the beneficiaries?
The budget of the European Union is mainly composed of three own resources: those from taxes and customs duties, those from VAT, and those from gross national income. The latter resource represents the bulk of the EU budget (66.6% in 2016).
The Contributors
In 2016, the budget of the European Union amounted to 155 billion euros. Germany is the largest contributor to the European Union (23.3 billion euros), followed by France (19.5 billion euros), Italy (13.9 billion euros), and the United Kingdom (12.8 billion euros).
Malta is the country that contributes the least to the Union’s budget (80.6 million euros), followed by Cyprus (151.9 million euros), Estonia (182.8 million euros), and Latvia (218.8 million euros).
The Beneficiaries
Besides the operating expenses of European institutions (6%) and external actions, the budget of the European Union primarily finances projects and programs across all member states.
Across all European policies, Spain received the highest amount from the EU in 2016 (11.593 billion euros), closely followed by Italy (11.592 billion euros), France (11.3 billion euros), Poland (10.6 billion euros), and Germany (10.1 billion euros).
Cyprus benefits the least from European spending (185.1 million euros), followed by Malta (207.5 million euros), Slovenia (544.9 million euros), and Estonia (673.7 million euros).
Net Contributors and Beneficiaries
The difference between what a state pays into and receives from the European budget is expressed as a “net” contribution or benefit: some countries receive more than they give, others less.
Thus, in 2016, Germany (-12.9 billion euros), France (-8.2 billion euros), and the United Kingdom (-5.6 billion euros) are the main net contributors to the European Union’s budget.
Conversely, Poland (+7.1 billion euros), Romania (+6 billion euros), and Greece (+4.3 billion euros) are the countries with the largest positive budgetary balance.
