Windfall: millions from Brussels back to The Hague | Interior

After every year, the European Commission calculates whether the contribution from the member states was properly estimated in advance. This is done on the basis of the expected VAT income and the size of the country’s gross national income. For the Netherlands, that was overestimated last year, because the economy of our country grew a little slower than expected.

Our country transferred 156 million euros, but Minister Hoekstra now gets 17 million euros back. That has been different in the last five years. In 2014, 2015 and 2018, the Netherlands had to pay an additional 643, 446 and 318 million euros respectively. In 2016 (124 million) and 2017 (64 million) our country did get money back.

The 17 million euros is processed in the estimate of the Dutch contributions to the 2020 budget.

Higher contribution to the Netherlands

The Netherlands is currently discussing in the European Union the multi-annual budget from 2021 to 2027. The European Commission wants to increase that budget, which in 2027 would amount to a 2 billion euro higher contribution for our country. The Netherlands does not agree with this, Minister Blok (Foreign Affairs) wrote to the Lower House on Monday. The Netherlands wants to stick to the upper limit of 1 percent of gross national income for the contribution.

The British departing from the European Union will receive a peppery bill from Brussels in 2019. The United Kingdom still has to pay an additional 1.3 billion euros. Germany is just getting 1.5 billion euros back.

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