Press Release: EU budget: rule change to give more flexibility on exceptional adjustments to national contributions

The European Commission proposed on the 12 November 2014 an amendment to the rules on the adjustment of EU budget contributions from Member States. This came after the current automatic system had in 2014 led to a demand for exceptionally large additional payments from some Member States.

The proposed changes to the rules would provide for an extended deadline for payment until 1 September of 2015, interest free, under exceptional circumstances. The extension would kick in, if additional payment requests were over a certain threshold: for an individual Member State, if they were requested to pay more than twice their regular monthly payment to the EU budget; for all countries, if the total requested adjustment was more than a half of the total monthly contribution of all Member States.

• Primary Source

European Commission: RAPID: Memo, MEMO/14/1644: The EU budget's "own resources" and the Commission's proposed changes http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-1644_en.htm

European Commission: DG European Commission: Financial Programming and Budget: Multiannual Financial Framework http://ec.europa.eu/budget/mff/resources/index_en.cfm

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/14/601: Revision of Member States' GNI contribution - Q&A http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-601_en.htm

ESO: Background information: Presidency conclusions on the budgetary issues in the current year and on the request to the Commission to submit a proposal for amendment of Regulation http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-presidency-conclusions-on-the-budgetary-issues-in-the-current-year-and-on-the-request-to-the-commission-to-submit-a-proposal-for-amendment-of-regulation/

EUObserver, 12.11.14: Brussels offers interest-free delays for EU budget top-ups http://euobserver.com/news/126490

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