Finland’s net payment to the EU increased

Finland’s net payment to the European Union increased last year.

According to the calculations of the Ministry of Finance, Finland’s net contribution to the EU was 840 million euros last year. The net payment increased in the second half of the year, when it was 798 million euros.

Calculated per inhabitant, the net payment in Finland rose from 144 euros to 150 euros. The net payment is approximately 41 cents per inhabitant per day.

The net payment roughly describes the difference between the income a member state receives from the EU and the payments billed to the EU.

Relative to gross national income, the net payment remained at the same level as last year.

Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were the largest net payers in relation to gross national income last year.

The biggest net recipients in relation to GDP last year were Croatia, Latvia and Hungary.

The figures do not tell about all the benefits of EU membership. Finland benefits, for example, from the EU’s open internal market and free movement.

Oxford Economicsin according to the report, Finland’s gross domestic product per inhabitant has increased by 1.2–1.7 percent due to EU membership.

EU membership has increased Finland’s total trade by 9–26 percent. In addition, as a result of Finland’s EU membership, direct foreign investments that would otherwise have been missed.