Britain’s budget veto could impact Ireland

Britain’s refusal to pay a bill going back more than 12 years and now totalling €2.1bn to the EU’s budget could substantially increase the sum Ireland must pay.

Diplomats and legal experts are working behind the scenes in Brussels to come up with a way to resolve the problem thrown up by British prime minister David Cameron last month.

Nine countries, including Ireland, owe money to the EU budget following agreement on the way each country’s gross national income (GNI) is calculated. However, Britain’s bill is much larger after London’s statistics office resolved an outstanding issue over including charities, NGOs, and other agencies in their GNI.