Between 2000 and 2015, the Netherlands was on average the largest net contributor to the EU relative to all other EU members. The Netherlands’ average net contribution exceeded 0.4 percent of gross national income (GNI). This is the outcome of a survey by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on remittances to the EU between 2000 and 2015.

In 2015, payments to the EU amounted to almost 150 euros net per head of the Dutch population. Dutch remittances were 2.5 billion euros higher last year than what was received from the European Union. The amount includes the annual rebates which apply in the period 2014-2020 and which still remain to be disbursed by the EU. Without the annual rebate, in 2015 the Netherlands’ payments would have been about 3.5 billion euros higher than receipts, i.e. 210 euros per head.

Net contributions by EU member states, 2000-2015 Groep x-as label X-as label Betalingen minus ontvangsten (exclusief voorgenomen kortingen)

Download CSV Show datatable Net contributions by EU member states, 2000-2015 Net contributions by EU member states, 2000-2015 Receipts minus payments (excl. planned rebates) Netherlands -0.41 Germany -0.35 Sweden -0.34 Belgium -0.29 Luxembourg -0.28 Denmark -0.23 France -0.22 Austria -0.21 UK -0.2 Italy -0.2 Finland -0.15 Cyprus 0.2 Croatia 0.35 Spain 0.55 Ireland 0.67 Slovenia 0.95 Malta 1.05 Czech Rep. 1.33 Slovakia 1.52 Portugal 1.75 Romania 1.78 Poland 2.11 Greece 2.36 Estonia 2.6 Latvia 2.76 Hungary 2.85 Bulgaria 2.9 Lithuania 3.53

Financing of the EU

Over the past 15 years, all member states in eastern Europe (from the date of accession to the EU) and nearly all member states in southern Europe have, on average, been net beneficiaries of the EU. When balanced against gross national income (GNI), Germany and Sweden are the next largest net contributors after the Netherlands. Whereas the Netherlands paid nearly 210 euros per capita before reduction, Slovakia and Czech Republic received 570 and 540 euros net per capita respectively.The EU obtains most of its revenue from three main sources. The first source are the so-called traditional own resources (TOR), principally import duties. These are not nearly sufficient to cover all costs. Therefore, EU members also contribute part of their own VAT resources. Since 1989, this amount has been based on the gross national income (GNI). The latter has become an increasingly major resource: currently, 70 percent of EU funding is distributed among the member states in proportion to their GNI. The VAT-based own resources and the GNI-based own resources together make up a country’s national contributions.

How the EU is financed Groep x-as label X-as label Overig Traditionele eigen middelen Btw Bruto nationaal inkomen

Download CSV Show datatable How the EU is financed How the EU is financed Other TOR VAT GNI 2000 1.5 15.3 35.2 37.6 2001 1.9 14.6 31.3 34.9 2002 2.9 9.2 22.4 45.9 2003 2.7 10.9 21.3 51.2 2004 2.8 12.3 13.9 69 2005 2.9 14.1 16 70.9 2006 3.6 15 17.2 70.1 2007 5.5 16.6 19.4 73.9 2008 9.2 17.3 19 74.5 2009 6.5 14.5 12.8 82 2010 6.3 15.7 12.5 91.1 2011 5.5 16.8 14.8 88.4 2012 8.6 16.5 14.9 98.2 2013 8.9 15.4 14 110.2 2014 9.8 16.4 17.7 99.1 2015 6.8 18.7 18.1 101

Germany contributes the highest euro amount

When looking at total contributions in euros, Germany ranks highest. The country paid over 24 billion euros into the EU budget, equivalent to over 20 percent of total VAT-based and GNI-based contributions to the EU. According to single proportion, the Netherlands’ contribution of slightly below

6 billion

euros

(5 percent)

ranks sixth. As for receiving EU funding, Germany occupied fifth place in 2015

(10.8 billion euros)

and the Netherlands fifteenth

(2.3 billion euros)

National contributions to the EU, 2015 Groep x-as label X-as label Nationale bijdragen

Download CSV Show datatable National contributions to the EU, 2015 National contributions to the EU, 2015 National contributions Germany 20.5 France 16 UK 15.4 Italy 12 Spain 7.4 Netherlands 4.9 Other 22 members 23.9

EU budget spending, 2015 Groep x-as label X-as label Afdrachten exclusief invoerrechten

Download CSV Show datatable EU budget spending, 2015 EU budget spending, 2015 Expenditure France 11.5 Spain 11.1 Poland 10.9 Italy 9.8 Germany 8.8 UK 6 Other 22 members 41.9

Looking at net contributions (payments minus amounts received) in euros, excluding the import duties, then Germany is the largest net contributor, spending approximately

13.5 billion

euros in 2015, followed by the United Kingdom with a net contribution of

10.9 billion

euros. The Netherlands ranks fourth after France with a net contribution of

3.5 billion

euros. Poland was the highest net beneficiary, receiving net

9.6 billion

euros.

Net position of EU member states, 2015 Groep x-as label X-as label Nettopositie (exclusief voorgenomen kortingen)

Download CSV Show datatable Net position of EU member states, 2015 Net position of EU member states, 2015 Net position (excl. planned rebates) Germany -13.5 UK -10.9 France -4.9 Netherlands -3.5 Italy -2.2 Sweden -2.1 Belgium -1.3 Austria -0.8 Denmark -0.7 Finland -0.4 Luxembourg -0.1 Cyprus 0 Malta 0 Estonia 0.2 Ireland 0.4 Lithuania 0.6 Slovenia 0.6 Latvia 0.8 Portugal 1 Bulgaria 2.3 Slovakia 3.1 Hungary 4.7 Spain 4.8 Greece 5 Romania 5.2 Czech Rep. 5.7 Poland 9.6

EU compensations

Since the start of the century, the Netherlands has only been net receiver of the EU once, in 2009. This was related to 2.1 billion euros in arrear paid over 2007 and 2008. The Netherlands received rebates on contributions which had been granted but not yet disbursed. In 2014, the Netherlands had to make sizeable additional payments, while an annual rebate is expected over the period 2014-2016 of around 1 billion euros per year, to be disbursed in 2017. Taking the above into account, the net contribution per head of the Dutch population has remained the same since the year 2000.

Net contribution per head of Dutch population, prices 2015 Groep x-as label X-as label Nettoafdracht Nettoafdracht (na verrekening naheffingen/nabetalingen) Trend

Download CSV Show datatable Net contribution per head of Dutch population, prices 2015 Net contribution per head of Dutch population, prices 2015 Net contribution Net contribution (after settlements) Trend 2000 130 141 2001 171 141 2002 151 141 2003 127 142 2004 135 142 2005 176 142 2006 169 169 142 2007 181 108 143 2008 167 95 143 2009 -10 131 143 2010 119 129 143 2011 125 136 144 2012 133 143 144 2013 156 165 144 2014 267 168 144 2015 207 147 145

Brexit

As mentioned earlier, the United Kingdom is the largest net contributor to the EU after Germany. The UK’s planned withdrawal from the EU is therefore likely to have serious consequences for monetary flows withing the EU. Since the UK is a net contributor, Brexit may leave a gap in the EU budget which needs to be filled by the other member states.Therefore, the CBS survey also projects what EU funding would have been like in recent years had the United Kingdom not been a member. Subsequently, the possible impact on Dutch contributions is outlined in several scenarios, as well as the additional contributions required from the Netherlands if there had not been a British EU membership.