EU commission sees UK payments continuing to 2020 despite Brexit

[webfact]

EU commission sees UK payments continuing to 2020 despite Brexit

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain will have to keep making payments for long-term programmes to the European Union until at least 2020, even after it leaves the bloc in 2019, EU Budget Commission Guenther Oettinger told Germany's Bild newspaper.

 

Oettinger said Britain was obligated to honour commitments it had made to long-term programmes before last year's vote to leave the bloc in 2019, the Monday edition of the newspaper reported.

 

"As a result, London will have to transfer funds to Brussels at least until 2020," he told the newspaper.

 

Oettinger said he expected Germany to face extra costs in the single-digit billion-euro range as a result of Britain's departure from the EU.

 

Britain's departure would leave an annual hole of around 10 billion to 12 billion euros in EU coffers, Oettinger said.

 

He said the gap could be offset by budget cuts and higher payments by members, but the EU could also save money by eliminating discounts that it had negotiated over the years with member countries, including Britain.

 

"That would result in a significant administrative simplification and it would end the horsetrading that has accompanied budget negotiations up to now," he said.

 

The EU Commission in June outlined five scenarios to deal with the added costs resulting from Britain's departure, noting that the EU could tap sources like corporate taxes, a tax on financial transactions, or levies on electricity, motor fuel, carbon emissions.

 

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Richard Chang)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-07

[Grouse]

There had better be huge upside benefits to the UK as a result of this ridiculous Brexit foolishness.

[AGareth2]

12 minutes ago, Grouse said:

There had better be huge upside benefits to the UK as a result of this ridiculous Brexit foolishness.

we could negotiate a better deal to rejoin?

[Grouse]

38 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

we could negotiate a better deal to rejoin?

Exceedingly unlikely! They will never agree such a special deal for a truculent member such as the UK ever again!

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Britain will have to keep making payments for long-term programmes to the European Union until at least 2020

Fair enough as I gather that is the end date of the current budget agreement.

 

Assuming this is the case, a plan to leave in 2020 (rather than 2019) makes sense to everyone?

 

No more arguments about money owed to the EU (it can shift to money owed to the UK on assets) - with the UK taking over future pension payments to previous UK MEPs.

[dick dasterdly]

19 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Exceedingly unlikely! They will never agree such a special deal for a truculent member such as the UK ever again!

Exactly!

 

It is already too late as the EU has to do its best to 'punish' the UK - to discourage the population of other EU countries who are also unhappy with EU waste/over-paid MEPs and staff/corruption etc. etc.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, Grouse said:

Exceedingly unlikely! They will never agree such a special deal for a truculent member such as the UK ever again!

 

But, everything must be according to the rules.

 

The budget commissioner can't make it up as he goes along. And whatever for and how much the UK pays, they must receive something in return.

 

It's sad, and I believe myopic, that the UK is leaving. But, the EU can't do as they like, seek to punish, demand all their own way and more either.

[retarius]

In 2106 our net spending was 8.6 billion pounds (this is what we pay into the EU less what the EU spends in UK programs and our rebate). This is a net 24 million pounds per day or net 168 million pounds per week. So if we leave in March 2019, and fully funded the 1.75 years until end 2020 we would owe about 15 billion pounds.

 

One wonders how we can afford to be in the EU when we cannot afford a decent NHS.

[dunroaming]

Just another page filler for a dull day in the summer holidays.  Nothing new to see here, let's wait until the negotiations start again in the Autumn.

[smedly]

well any such money should be included in any exit bill so that it is very clear that 2020 will be accounts settled to the EU, the UK need to calculate what they are owed from assets they have in the EU, then there will be a final grand total that all agree, I still say the EU has no interest in agreeing anything until they have tested the UK's resolve to the limit and that means forcing them to quit the talks without any agreements then waiting to see what happens - if the UK doesn't implode then the talks will resume and agreements will be very quickly made

 

I wonder if a country that was not a net contributor left the bloc would they still receive payments until 2020 - I don't think so

[KNJ]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

Exceedingly unlikely! They will never agree such a special deal for a truculent member such as the UK ever again!

And if we did we would be forced to take the Euro

[KNJ]

"He said the gap could be offset by budget cuts and higher payments by members, but the EU could also save money by eliminating discounts that it had negotiated over the years with member countries, including Britain"

 

AS the second highest net contributor the cost to Germany and France will be enormous, and thoughts that countries ( France farming subsidies ) would be acceptable is complete nonsense, as for budget cuts, good luck with that,

 

" the EU could tap sources like corporate taxes, a tax on financial transactions," 

 

These taxes are paid by businesses and if you raise corporate tax, guess what the businesses move, financial transactions the same, lets hope they do, it means we will not have to lower ours in UK, not that we intend to........but that was said by a politician .......mouth moving....lie....

Edited August 7, 2017 by KNJ
typo

[rufanuf]

3 hours ago, Grouse said:

There had better be huge upside benefits to the UK as a result of this ridiculous Brexit foolishness.

How about NOT being dictated too by a bunch of unelected idiots who have already allowed Europe to be left behind in the global economic stakes. There that ought to do it!

[rufanuf]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

Exceedingly unlikely! They will never agree such a special deal for a truculent member such as the UK ever again!

Thankfully.

[jesimps]

I'm sure the UK's team of accountants know exactly what we owe, or are owed. Due to their shoddy auditing, I'll be very surprised if the EU do.

 

[phantomfiddler]

Whatever it costs, it will be worth every penny to be rid of these wasters, parasites, and bossy little people who delight in telling us what we can or cannot put in our breakfast pork sausages !

[Grouse]

2 hours ago, KNJ said:

"He said the gap could be offset by budget cuts and higher payments by members, but the EU could also save money by eliminating discounts that it had negotiated over the years with member countries, including Britain"

 

AS the second highest net contributor the cost to Germany and France will be enormous, and thoughts that countries ( France farming subsidies ) would be acceptable is complete nonsense, as for budget cuts, good luck with that,

 

" the EU could tap sources like corporate taxes, a tax on financial transactions," 

 

These taxes are paid by businesses and if you raise corporate tax, guess what the businesses move, financial transactions the same, lets hope they do, it means we will not have to lower ours in UK, not that we intend to........but that was said by a politician .......mouth moving....lie....

The additional burden on Germany will be "single figure billions of Euro" as their GDP exceeds 3 trillion Euro, its no big deal. ?

[Grouse]

1 hour ago, rufanuf said:

How about NOT being dictated too by a bunch of unelected idiots who have already allowed Europe to be left behind in the global economic stakes. There that ought to do it!

Left behind in terms of what? Happiness? Standard of living? Quality of life? GDP? Idiots you say; we are supposed to be the 5th greatest economy and look at us!!!  Idiots indeed ?

[Grouse]

38 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Whatever it costs, it will be worth every penny to be rid of these wasters, parasites, and bossy little people who delight in telling us what we can or cannot put in our breakfast pork sausages !

In future you will be lucky to find any pork in your "pork" sausages! Do you really trust DEFRA more than the EU? How naive!

[smedly]

7 minutes ago, Grouse said:

The additional burden on Germany will be "single figure billions of Euro" as their GDP exceeds 3 trillion Euro, its no big deal. ?

no problem for Scotland either then in the event they leave the UK and are accepted into the EU, they will continue to receive handouts just from the EU instead lol

[smedly]

1 minute ago, Grouse said:

In future you will be lucky to find any pork in your "pork" sausages! Do you really trust DEFRA more than the EU? How naive!

yes we all prefer horsemeat from EU instead of beef lol 

[rufanuf]

11 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Left behind in terms of what? Happiness? Standard of living? Quality of life? GDP? Idiots you say; we are supposed to be the 5th greatest economy and look at us!!!  Idiots indeed ?

Yes. Yes. And well Yes, and also Yes. Good call!

[rufanuf]

16 minutes ago, Grouse said:

The additional burden on Germany will be "single figure billions of Euro" as their GDP exceeds 3 trillion Euro, its no big deal. ?

And why is Germanys GDP 3 Trillion Euro? Becuase the EU was set up to serve their interests and knowone elses! Ask Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and half the other member states!

[JAG]

And why is Germanys GDP 3 Trillion Euro? Becuase the EU was set up to serve their interests and knowone elses! Ask Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and half the other member states!

I remember reading somewhere - I can't remember where: " The Euro is just the Deutschmark in drag"!

 

[Grouse]

18 minutes ago, smedly said:

no problem for Scotland either then in the event they leave the UK and are accepted into the EU, they will continue to receive handouts just from the EU instead lol

What? RR are you there?

[shaurene]

Ok, but UK should make sure the EU will continue to pay the Uk the normal budget payments.

Or better still deduct the amount from the UK payment first. As i would not trust the EU to honour the payments.

[Grouse]

17 minutes ago, smedly said:

yes we all prefer horsemeat from EU instead of beef lol 

Oh dear! Horse meat is the least of your problems. Hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, carcinogens, And a little "rusk". Yum! ?

[Grouse]

21 minutes ago, rufanuf said:

Yes. Yes. And well Yes, and also Yes. Good call!

Do you get out much? ?

[rufanuf]

Just now, Grouse said:

Do you get out much? ?

Yes

[Grouse]

20 minutes ago, rufanuf said:

And why is Germanys GDP 3 Trillion Euro? Becuase the EU was set up to serve their interests and knowone elses! Ask Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and half the other member states!

The EU or the Euro? Get it right and then we can talk ?