Finland is a lightweight net contributor to EU

Heidi Hautala

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News that Finland’s net monetary contribution to the European Union hit a new record last year has angered Finland’s Eurosceptics. However, fresh information indicates that Finland’s burden as a net contributor is fairly light.
      According to the Ministry of Finance, Finland’s net contribution to the EU last year was EUR 628 million, which is over EUR 500 million more than in 2004.
      The main reason for the relatively high figure was the delay in the payment of last year’s EU agricultural subsidies to Finland, which did not come until this year.
      Last year Finnish payments to the EU were EUR 1.6 billion, while it got EUR 978 million back.
      In 2004, ten EU member states were net contributors, and 14 were net recipients. The largest net contributor was Germany, which paid over EUR 6 billion more to the EU than it got back. The greatest net recipient was Spain, which got over EUR 8 billion more than it contributed.
      Finland’s position as an EU net contributor appears to be permanent. This year the net contribution level was about EUR 400 million, whereas the inclusion of new member states requires a greater monetary input from the wealthier member states.
     
Former MEP, current MP Heidi Hautala (Green) says that it is not self-evident that Finland is getting its money’s worth as a net contributor. She would like to see that the net contribution of the old member states would advance the narrowing of the gap in the standards of living of the old and new member states.
      Hautala feels that this does not seem to be happening, and that old member states, such as Finland, are threatened with "social dumping". "The new member states seem to want to compete with low taxation. It is not right to collect maximum benefits, and let the other countries pay the taxes", Hautala says.
     
The Chair of the Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament, Jari Vilén (Nat. Coalition) emphasises that without the EU, Finland would not be doing as well as it does. He feels that the net payment by Finland is quite reasonable.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish net contribution to European Union set new record last year (12.4.2006)

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