Poland prefers higher GNI-based contributions over regressive new EU own resources

Niemczycki: ultimately, we prefer higher premiums

If it were necessary to choose between unfair, regressive new own resources and higher contributions based on gross national income (GNI, which is a measure of a country's wealth - ed.), Poland would opt for higher contributions based on GNI, Niemczycki said. The idea is for larger and richer economies to pay more into the EU budget, and smaller ones to pay less, as is currently the case.

We say very clearly that the new own budget revenues cannot be regressive, that is, they cannot burden poorer countries more - noted the deputy head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

One of Warsaw's red lines is the transfer of part of the revenues from the ETS system to the EU budget.

The worst example of such a resource is the ETS as an own budget resource. We clearly oppose this, said Ignacy Niemczycki in Brussels.

It's about money from the sale of CO2 emission allowances. Today, auction revenues go to the budgets of member states. The European Commission wants some of this money to become direct income of the EU budget. Poland believes that this would mean taking away some of the money that remains in the national budget today and can finance the energy transformation. Warsaw also argues that this method of financing would be more painful for less wealthy countries.

Niemczycki noted, however, that Poland does not reject all new sources of income for the EU. The problem is those that - according to Warsaw - may burden less wealthy countries relatively more heavily.

Not all new revenues are a problem for Poland

However, Warsaw does not reject the entire concept of new own resources. It is open, among other things, to income from CBAM, i.e. fees on the import of high-emission products from outside the EU, as well as to a solution applicable to the largest enterprises.

Therefore, Poland wants the new EU revenues to actually bring additional money and, at the same time, to be fairly distributed among the countries.

Serafin: without new money, the budget will not tighten

Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin argues that without a significant package of new own resources, it is impossible to simultaneously finance an ambitious budget and maintain "stable state contributions."

Serafin agrees with European Council President Antonio Costa that the October EU summit "is expected to bring clarity on an updated and revised set of new own resources." This means that new taxes in the budget will be one of the most important points of negotiations in the coming weeks.