EU demand €650m from NL; MPs demand explanation
The VVD and CDA want clarification from the Cabinet on the surcharge for the European Commission this year. According to the British newspaper Financial Times, it is an amount of 642 million euro.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed the amount after talks in Brussels. "This in itself is a regular recalculation, as has happened for many years. This is not new. It happened, it does not surprise us, but the very high amounts do. That's never happened before." says Rutte.
Naheffing EU-afdracht verkeerde boodschap op verkeerd moment. Raar verhaal. Kabinet opheldering gevraagd. Lijkt op straf voor goed presteren
— Mark Verheijen (@markverheijen1) October 23, 2014
Een "EU-naheffing" van ruim 600 miljoen euro? Het moet niet gekker worden. #CDA wil opheldering van kabinet http://t.co/9YXzeZ0ecw
— Eddy van Hijum (@vanHijum) October 23, 2014
The surcharge from Brussels is because the European Commission has now adopted a new calculation method world wide, causing the Dutch economy to be much larger than previously calculated. The contribution to Brussels is a percentage of gross domestic product. Because the Dutch economy is larger by the new calculation, the contribution increases, said a spokesperson for the commission.
Rutte disputes the charge that comes through the new calculation. The Prime Minister has already contacted the British Prime Minister David Cameron regarding the issue. Brussels wants 2.1 billion euro from Britain. A source from Downing street has made it clear that the United Kingdom will also challenge the demand.
"When I say get to the bottom of the issue it means looking at all aspects, including legal. It is too early to anticipate the outcome" says the Prime Minister. He will also contact Bulgaria, Malta, Italy and Greece, who also received a surcharge.
