Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
137. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total amount contributed to the EU MFF by Ireland in each of the years 2019 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the total receipts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68605/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra140. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will report on his engagement regarding the EU Multiannual Financial Framework post-2027. [68610/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 140 together.
As the Deputy will recall from my answer on 28 July 2026, Ireland was a significant net beneficiary from the EU budget since accession in 1973, until 2013 when we became a net contributor reflecting our economic transformation over fifty years of membership.
The EU budget finances our common activities within the continent and further afield. It supports our food security and farming and rural livelihoods through the Common Agricultural Policy. It develops our regions, spreading economic growth across the continent. It finances key transport and energy infrastructure, connects our young people and our innovators through flagship programmes like Erasmus and Horizon Europe, and boosts our businesses across their investment journeys. It provides support to those in need outside our borders, through development and humanitarian assistance and to our close neighbour Ukraine. Through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, it helped Ireland to weather the uncertainty of the UK's EU departure.
These benefits are above and beyond the vast gains that have arisen from Ireland’s EU membership such as the access to single market, which makes it easier for Irish businesses to trade in European markets.
The MFF operates in seven-year cycles, and we are now approaching the end of the 2021-2027 period and approaching the next period.
Ireland contributed €2.4 billion, €2.6 billion, €3.5 billion, €3.6 billion, €3.7 billion, €3.4 billion and €3.5 billion to the EU budget over 2019 to 2025 respectively and Ireland has contributed €2.8 billion to date in 2026. These year-end figures are published on an annual basis in the Finance Accounts.
My Department collects data on Ireland’s EU Budget receipts from the relevant Government Departments for publication in the annual EU Transactions Reports.
Ireland received of the order €1.7 billion, €1.9 billion, €2.4 billion, €2 billion ,€1.7 billion and €1.9 billion from the EU budget over 2019 to 2024 respectively. These figures include areas such as agriculture, cohesion and Erasmus+.
They do not include funds directly managed by the European Commission, such as Horizon Europe and the Connecting Europe Facility, which come on top of those numbers. These figures can differ from figures published by the Commission due to differences in accounting practices.
My Department will publish receipts data in respect of 2025 and 2026 in subsequent editions of the EU Transactions Report in the coming years.
In regards to the next Multiannual Financial Framework, negotiations have been ongoing at EU-level since July of last year on the European Commission’s proposal for the next MFF covering the years 2028 to 2034.
There has been extensive coordination across Government to comprehensively determine Ireland's priorities. These priorities have been thoroughly represented in our engagements with the Commission and our EU counterparts at all levels. These include but are not limited to: a strong and ringfenced Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy, the continuation of the PEACEPLUS programme in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland, funding for competitiveness and research based on the principle of excellence, sustained support for Ukraine and continued development and humanitarian assistance.
In July of this year Ireland assumed its role as Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In this context, we act as an honest broker and work constructively with Member States, EU institutions and other stakeholders to facilitate progress in negotiations on the wider MFF package.
In recent weeks, I have engaged constructively with the European Commission and Ministerial counterparts across the EU, as well as Members of the European Parliament. I, as well as my colleagues in Government, will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months in order to make substantive progress towards agreement on the MFF by the end of the year.
