Red lines, red lines, red lines: the expression is omnipresent in the mouths of the deputies of the National Rally (RN), who threaten to vote for censure of the Barnier government if the demands of the far-right party – currently being examined in Parliament – are not included in the State and Social Security budgets for 2025. But how can we finance the abandonment of certain measures proposed by the government, while sharing its stated objective of reducing the deficit? The president of the RN deputies listed this Friday, November 29 on X a series of proposals for additional revenue and savings. Among them, the drop in France's net contribution to the European Union by 1 billion euros.
Contributions from member states are the EU's main source of funding. In 2023, out of a total budget of 168.6 billion euros, around 147 billion came from these national contributions. These are mainly calculated based on the wealth of each State. In 2023, France was the second contributing country to the EU with 27.2 billion euros paid, or 18.5% of member states' contributions, behind Germany (23.6%) and ahead of Italy. (12.8%). And although they are adjusted every year, EU budgets are mainly defined once every seven years by the multiannual financial framework (MFF).
“This story is really windy”
Can Paris then unilaterally decide to reduce its contribution? “No, it’s not possible, we would be in breach of European treaties and commitments”explains Olivier Costa, researcher at CNRS and Cevipof and specialist in the European Union. By unilaterally cutting its contribution to the EU, France would expose itself to sanctions financial consequences of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), as well as potential suspensions of France's voting rights in the institutions of the Union, explains the researcher. “This story is really rubbish, it makes no sense. There is a certain amount that is owed, it seems complicated to cut back on that.”
Marine Le Pen's proposal is not new. On October 25, in a sparsely filled hemicycle, the RN and UDR deputies were able to adopt an amendment reducing by 5 billion euros the envelope allocated by France to the European Union for 2025, originally 23.3 billion euros. But the article and this new amendment were then rejected in their entirety by the National Assembly, before the text was sent to the Senate without being able to be completely examined. The envelope should ultimately return to its initial budget thanks to the parliamentary shuttle and a possible use of article 49.3 of the Constitution by the government, which allows it to take responsibility for the version of his choice of the text in play.
Discounts after negotiation
Some countries have already obtained discounts in the past. The United Kingdom with Margaret Thatcher, but also more recently the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Germany, which obtained more than 7 billion euros in annual rebates for the period 2021-2027 following a negotiation process with the European Commission. The decision therefore did not never been taken unilaterally. The complete opposite of what Marine Le Pen is proposing to Michel Barnier to finance the 2025 budget, while France's negotiation with the European Union in the next three weeks is simply unthinkable.
During the 2024 European elections, the RN had already defended a reduction in the French contribution to the community budget, without specifying the amount and while ensuring that France would continue to receive the same aid from the common agricultural policy (CAP), including it is by far the first beneficiary (9.5 billion euros in aid). During the 2022 presidential election, Marine Le Pen's program provided for a reduction of 5 billion euros in France's contribution to the European budget. Such a process 'never happened, this would trigger infringement proceedings. These measures are likely to call into question France's membership in the European Union.then explained to Liberation Eulalia Rubia, researcher at the Jacques-Delors Institute and EU specialist. An analysis shared by Olivier Costa: “From the moment everyone no longer respects their reciprocal commitments, the system can no longer function, it would quite simply mean the end of the EU.”
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