Towards a new way to finance the EU budget? Reflections on the Monti Report. College of Europe Policy Brief #7.17, July 2017

Mesdag, Frederik (2017) Towards a new way to finance the EU budget? Reflections on the Monti Report. College of Europe Policy Brief #7.17, July 2017. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Executive Summary > The current system of European Union (EU) own resources is running out of steam and contributes to exacerbating the tensions between EU member states, especially net contributors and net beneficiaries. > The prospect of a Brexit should be considered as an opportunity to reform the system in order to simplify it, make it more transparent and more democratic. > As long as member states keep focusing on accounting calculations, the EU budget cannot be an efficient investment tool, enabling the EU to deliver the full potential of its policies. > The Monti Report, while not seeking to increase the overall volume of EU spending, aims at finding novel ways of financing the EU budget, to make it less dependent on member states’ contributions. > In a general context of budgetary restrictions, itseems most unlikely that member states will agree on radically changing the EU’s own resources, however – unless a strong political will to deepen EU integration develops among the EU-27.

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