Dutch contribution to EU budget could increase 60% by 2027

The European Commission wants to substantially increase the Dutch contribution to the European Union budget in the coming years. The Netherlands' contribution next year amounts to 8.1 billion euros. If the European Commission has its way, that will increase to 13 billion euros by 2027 - an increase of no less than 60 percent, the Ministry of Finance confirmed to RTL Z after reports in Financieele Dagblad.

The European Commission wants to increase the next multi-year budget for 2021 to 2027 to 1.11 percent of the combined European income, the combined GDP. Currently it is at 1 percent. With the extra money, the European Commission wants to tackle new challenges like migration, integration, border control, cyber security and climate change, Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said at the presentation of the budget proposal.

If the budget stays at 1 percent of the combined European income, the Dutch contribution will increase to 10 billion euros in 2027.

Next year the Netherlands will contribute 8 billion euros to the EU budget. As the country also receives European subsidies, the net payment to the EU amounts to 5.5 billion euros. That makes the Netherlands the largest net payer in the EU per capita this century, Statistics Netherlands calculated. Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden, among others, are also net payers. While all Eastern European member states and almost all southern member states receive more from the EU than they pay, according to RTL Z.

The planned increase in contributions left the group of net payers dissatisfied. The Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Denmark and Germany formed a coalition to fight against the plans. Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra called the current 1 percent "more than sufficient".

The net payers coalition is also worried about the consequences of the Brexit. If the UK - one of the biggest net payers - eventually leaves the EU, there will be a gap in the budget of around 13 billion euros per year, which must be filled by the remaining 27 member states. "If the British leave the EU, our coalition of net payers finances 40 percent of the European households. That situation must be taken into account", Austrian Finance Minister Eduard Muller said earlier this month, RTL Z reports.