Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:62. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Finance the estimated net contribution Ireland will make to EU funds in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31513/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 15 June 2021
Ceisteanna (62)
Freagraí scríofa
Ireland’s contributions to the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are expected to rise over the coming period, from approximately €3.25 billion in 2021, to approximately €3.95 billion in 2027, an average of €3.6 billion per annum.
Data on Ireland’s EU Budget receipts are published annually, for the previous year, in my Department’s Budgetary Statistics each autumn – i.e. 2020 receipt data will be published in autumn 2021. Therefore, it is not yet possible to confirm Ireland’s net contribution to the EU Budget in 2021 or for the remainder of the 2021-2027 MFF. However, my Department estimates that our receipts from the 2021-2027 MFF will be in the region of approximately €2 billion each year.
Looking at EU Budget contributions in net terms fails to capture the wider benefits to Ireland of our membership of the European Union. For example, the European Commission has previously estimated the benefits to Ireland of the Single Market at over €30 billion and close to 10% of GNI. Although Ireland is a net contributor to the EU budget, many sectors of Irish society continue to benefit directly and indirectly from the breadth of EU programmes funded by the budget, including the Common Agricultural Policy, Regional Development, Horizon 2020, Erasmus and the PEACE Plus programme. The current MFF will also help support the member states and sectors most affected by Brexit through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, from which Ireland is set to be a significant beneficiary.