Contributors and recipients
- (Photo: EU Commission)
Member States pay contributions to the EU budget. Some Member States, like Germany, pay more than they receive and are net contributors. Others, such as Greece, Portugal and Ireland, pay less than they receive and are net recipients.
It is difficult to calculate the total net position of the different countries. When an agricultural product is sold on the EU market for a higher price than average, there may be a benefit for the exporting Member State. But this will not be registered in the budget. When an agricultural product is sold outside the EU, there is an export restitution to be seen in the budget.
For example, if custom duties are paid when goods are imported into Rotterdam for use in Poland, official EU figures will show the Netherlands as a contributor even if the customs duty is paid by the Polish, and vice-versa.
The benefit for Germany of having free trade for industrial products and services is not seen in the budget at all, nor are the net gainers and losers from, for example, the Common Fisheries Policy.
