Ireland gets more than it pays out as third biggest recipient of EU funds

IRELAND received more money from the EU last year despite being one of the richest countries in the union.

The country received €1,576m or 1.5% of the €73bn EU budget after paying in €990m making Ireland the third highest recipient. Most of the money went to agriculture.

Ireland's total take was up on 2001 largely because of extra money going to structural funds for the border, midland and western counties, and to agriculture.

Overall, just four countries receive more from the EU than they pay in Ireland, Spain, Greece and Portugal. Finland breaks even while the rest pay more than they receive.

The five wealthiest countries Germany, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden pay more but they also receive three quarters of the money that is disbursed in an effort to redistribute wealth more evenly and boost poorer regions.

The budget for 2002 was presented by Budget Commissioner Michaele Schreyer yesterday in Brussels.

"The EU budget is a good investment and provides important funding to all member states," she said. "It benefits especially the economically weaker ones, without posing an undue burden on net contributors."

However, Ireland can expect to receive less of the EU budget in future with the ending of structural funds in 2006 and the entry of 10 new members next year most of them much poorer than current members.