The Riksdag critical towards EU proposal on amending decision on system for own resources

The EU budget’s revenues are known as own resources and consist, primarily, of contributions from the member states. There are currently four types of own resources, but the European Commission has proposed the introduction of a further three types, two of which are revisions of previously presented proposals, and one is new.

The Commission proposes that these be based on:

• the EU’s emissions trading system, where revenues are currently distributed among the member states, but where it is proposed that 30 per cent should go to the EU budget;
• the mechanism for carbon adjustment at the EU’s external borders where, according to the proposal, 75 per cent of revenues would go to the EU budget;
• statistics on company profits based on the operating surplus (or deficit) before taking into account interest, rents or charges paid or received for the use of assets. According to the proposal, the share of own resources shall amount to 0.5 per cent of the sum.

The revenues from the new own resources would, among other things, be used for repayment of debts for the large recovery package that was introduced to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the member states.

The Riksdag has examined the proposal on the basis of the principle of subsidiarity. According to this principle, EU decisions are to be taken at the political level at which the decision can be made most effectively – as close to the citizens as possible. The principle is intended to safeguard the right of the member states to take their own decisions at national level.

In the opinion of the Riksdag, the Commission’s proposal is not compliant with the principle of subsidiarity as the proposed measures go beyond what is necessary to achieve the desired objectives of the proposal.

The Riksdag recalls that it has already criticised the introduction of new own resources on several occasions. The Riksdag is also against the transfer of the right to levy taxes to the EU level. In addition, the Riksdag considers it problematic to decide on own resources which in the future will be based on a proposal that has not yet been fully negotiated.

In view of this, the Riksdag opposes the Commission’s proposals with a reasoned opinion.