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Klingbeil warns: EU budget endangers Germany's financial stability!
In Durban, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil expressed concerns about the EU budget proposal for 2025, as Germany is heavily burdened as a net contributor.
Klingbeil warns: EU budget endangers Germany's financial stability!
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil expressed his concerns about EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for the next long-term EU budget at the meeting of G20 finance ministers in Durban, South Africa. Loud radioguetersloh.de Klingbeil described this proposal as “not acceptable”. He emphasizes the importance of remaining proportionate when it comes to financial matters and particularly criticized the planned corporate taxation, which is seen as sending the wrong signal.
In the current EU budget, large companies with an annual turnover of over 100 million euros are affected by a new tax. In addition, part of the national tobacco tax revenue should flow to the EU. Klingbeil made it clear that Germany could not support this proposal. The federal government is pursuing the goal of strengthening the German economy, securing jobs and attracting more investment into the country.
According to an IW study, Germany was the EU's largest net contributor in 2021 with a net contribution of 21.4 billion euros. This contrasts with many other member states that are considered net recipients, including Poland, Greece and Hungary. In 2021, Germany paid 0.58% of its gross national income (GNI) to the EU, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. Compared to our EU neighbors, this is a significant sum. Every German invests 257 euros per capita in the EU, which shows that the financial burdens are clearly noticeable in Germany.
The situation has become even worse since Brexit, as Germany and France have to absorb the payments from the former net contributor Great Britain. At this point, Germany's net position has increased by €5.9 billion since Brexit, which only adds to the challenges for German fiscal policy.
Financial conditions in the EU
The situation of net contributors and recipients in the EU is a comparable picture bpb.de represents. In 2023, Germany was the largest net contributor with a negative budget balance of -0.4% of gross domestic product, followed by France and the Netherlands. In absolute terms in particular, Germany leads the list of net contributors with 17.4 billion euros, while Poland and Romania are in the top league when it comes to net recipients.
In addition to the financial contributions, these payments also have an impact on Germany's perception in the EU. It's not just a question of money. Countries such as Croatia, Latvia and Hungary receive significantly higher amounts per capita from the EU, highlighting the imbalance between member states.
The IW study also emphasizes that the net positions do not reflect the entire benefit of the EU for the member states, because as an export nation, Germany benefits significantly from the European markets. This means that discussions about budget contributions and recipients are always at the center of political debates.
Given the challenges arising from the existing proposals and the financial circumstances, it will be exciting to see how Germany and the EU react to the current developments. Finance Minister Klingbeil's stance is just one piece of the puzzle in a complex political and economic context.