Ireland makes net gain from EU

IRELAND remains a net beneficiary of the European Union, which gave us €500 million more in 2008 that we gave it.

The report shows in the years from 2004 to 2008 Ireland paid €7.4 billion to the EU and received €11.4bn.

In 2008 Ireland sent €1.6bn to the EU and received €2.1bn.

Almost €1bn of the cash sent to Brussels is based on our gross national income but €141m of the €1.6bn is as a direct result of the special correction mechanism put in place to reduce Britain’s contribution to the EU back in former prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s reign.

The bulk of the cash which comes from Brussels to Ireland is for agriculture.

Some €1.45bn comes from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) with €355m coming from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The principal components are single farm payments (€1.3bn) and sugar restructuring payments (€149m).

Ireland also gets €12.8m in supports to education.

The Central Statistics Office received €400,000 in Eurostat Receipts.