91997E3346

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3346/97 by Frank Vanhecke (NI) to the Council (23 October 1997)

Subject: Belgian contribution to the European budget

At the meeting of Finance Ministers in Mondorf on 13/14 September, the Netherlands requested a reduction in its contribution to the Union, claiming, on the basis of its own table of figures, that it was the biggest net contributor to the Union.

Can the Council supply a copy of this table of figures cited by the Netherlands?

Does the Council have calculations of its own which give a detailed indication of which Member States of the Union are net contributors or net beneficiaries and, to what extent, for the years 1995, 1996 and 1997?

Answer (20 January 1998)

1. The working paper to which the Honourable Member refers was mentioned by the Netherlands delegation at an informal meeting of Finance Ministers and was not the subject of an official communication to the Council. According to customary practice, when a delegation forwards an internal document of that kind which is discussed in an informal setting, it is the responsibility of that delegation alone, i.e. in this case the Netherlands delegation.

2. With regard to the second question, the Council has taken note of the figures prepared by the Commission relating to the breakdown of resources and most expenditure per Member State. Similar information was also made available to the Council during discussions on previous financial packages and is included in the Court of Auditors reports. However, neither the Council nor the Commission has ever formally drawn up net balances per Member State.