In 41 years of EU Membership, Ireland has received a net amount of €44 billion from the EU
Brian Hayes MEP today said that Ireland is expected to go from a net recipient to the EU budget to net contributor within the next five years.
“Between 1973 and 2014 Ireland received around €73 billion in EU funding and contributed just over €29 billion to the EU budget. This means that we have received a net amount of over €44 billion from the EU.
“It’s clear that Ireland as a small country has done extremely well out of the European Union. Before we joined the Union, our per capita income was a little over half that of the average of the then nine members. Now, our GDP per capita is second highest in the Eurozone.
“The success of our economy means that we will very soon become net contributors to the EU budget. It is expected that over the period of the current 7-year EU budget cycle (2014-2020) Ireland will be a net contributor. This is not a bad thing. Ireland has reaped the rewards from EU membership and we now have an opportunity to contribute to the success of the EU going forward. A stronger EU means a stronger Ireland. The benefits of the EU are much more than monetary contributions – the EU gives citizens the freedom to live, work, study and travel anywhere in the Union and the single market allows businesses to trade freely with each other.
“Vice-President of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva has informed me that the operating budgetary balance in % GNI for Ireland has been generally positive over the past 15 years. She also confirmed that Ireland’s bailout programme had no effect on Ireland’s contribution to the EU budget, meaning that the percentage of our contribution to the EU budget was not impacted by the Troika programme.
“Ireland was a net contributor for only one year of its membership of the EU – 2009. But due to increased funding from the EU, particularly in terms of regional funding and agriculture subsidies, we have been net recipients for the past 5 years.”
Brian Hayes MEP 