Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 February 2017
148. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which Ireland's contribution to the EU budget will increase following Britain's departure from the EU; and the impact the loss of British funding to the EU will have for schemes including the Common Agricultural Policy. [5339/17]
View answer151. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance the amount Ireland's extra contribution to the EU budget will be post Brexit; the impact the loss of UK funding to the EU will mean for schemes post 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5496/17]
View answer152. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance the amount Ireland's extra contribution to the EU budget will be post Brexit; the impact the loss of UK funding to the EU will mean for the successor to Horizon 2020, post 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5497/17]
View answer178. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Finance if his officials are examining the changes that will occur with Ireland's EU contributions once the UK has left the EU; the examinations that are taking place at an EU level into the impact of the withdrawal of the UK's contributions on all schemes including the Common Agricultural Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5869/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 148, 151, 152 and 178 together.
Until it formally withdraws from the European Union, the UK remains a full EU Member, with all of its existing rights and obligations including in relation to the EU Budget. Brexit is likely to involve complex discussion on the Multiannual Financial Framework, particularly as the UK is an important net contributor to the EU Budget. Therefore, Brexit will have a significant impact on EU Budget funding and expenditure and may need to be mitigated by either increased contributions from other Member States, reductions in EU funding programmes, or a combination of both.
While my Department has undertaken some broad modelling work to estimate the potential impact of Brexit on our EU budget calculations, this analysis will need to be developed in more detail in the coming period, when the parameters of the budget negotiations are better defined. In particular, a key point will be getting agreement amongst the EU27 on a common approach to the future of the EU Budget.
