National Assembly: deputies adopt the French contribution to the EU budget

The deputies approved on Wednesday evening in the hemicycle the French participation in the EU budget provided for in the finance bill (PLF) for 2027, despite the votes against from LFI and the RN. The article providing for a levy of 30.9 billion euros for the benefit of the EU next year was defended by the Minister responsible for Europe, Benjamin Haddad.

He stressed that of course, France “is a net contributor, like the twelve other richest countries in our Union”, to the EU budget, but that it is “the first beneficiary in volume” of European subsidies for farmers, regions or businesses. Then accused the deputies wishing to reduce this contribution of "moving forward in disguise", by no longer daring to utter the word "Frexit", and of preferring the expression "balance of power with Europe".

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Philippe Juvin (LR), general budget rapporteur, stressed that removing the article from the state budget which defines the contribution “would have absolutely no effect on our legal obligation” to pay it. The RN nevertheless maintained its proposal to reduce France's contribution by 11 billion euros, so that the net French contribution "is limited to 5 billion euros", an amendment rejected.

A “serious democratic problem”, criticizes Tanguy

As Marine Le Pen did at the same time in Brussels, RN deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy also protested against the possibility that the EU budget for the period 2028-2034, currently being debated by the Europeans, could be concluded before the presidential election, seeing it as "a serious problem" for democracy. For LFI President of the Finance Commission Éric Coquerel, “as it exists today, the European Union remains the Trojan horse of neoliberalism and a supply-side policy whose duplicity no longer hides its failure from us.”

His group tabled various amendments - all rejected, but the variety of which caused lively debates - to reduce the French contribution, or to reduce it by 10% if certain conditions were not met. Among the conditions required: suppression of the Frontex agency, “freezing” of French debt securities held by the ECB, repeal of European rules setting maximums of 3% and 60% of GDP for public deficits and debts of member countries, or even denunciation of the association agreement between Israel and the EU or denunciation of the Mercosur trade agreement.