806. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total amount contributed to the EU MFF by Ireland in each of the years from 2019 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the total receipts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58022/26]

807. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the projected details of Irelands income and receipts from the EU MFF in each of the years 2026 to 2030. [58023/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 806 and 807 together.

The Deputy may recall that Ireland was a significant net beneficiary from the EU budget since accession in 1973, until 2013 when we became a net contributor, reflecting our economic transformation over fifty years of membership. We recognise the value the budget brings to our people, our civil society, and our businesses, and not least the broader gains that have arisen from Ireland’s EU membership such as the access to single market, which makes it easier for Irish businesses to trade in European markets.

My Department collects data on Ireland’s EU Budget receipts from the relevant Government Departments for publication in the EU Transactions Reports.

Ireland received of the order €1.9 billion, €2.4 billion, €2 billion and €1.7 billion from the EU budget over 2020 to 2023 respectively. These figures include areas such as agriculture, cohesion and Erasmus+.

They do not include funds directly managed by the European Commission and can differ from figures published by the Commission due to differences in accounting practices.

Data on receipts for 2024 collected from Departments will be published in due course.

My Department does not forecast Ireland's expected EU budget receipts for future years, which depend on a range of factors, including the status and speed of domestic project implementation, and the timing of individual Department's payment requests to the European Commission.

Ireland contributed €2.6 billion, €3.5 billion, €3.6 billion, €3.7 billion, €3.4 billion and €3.5 billion to the EU budget over 2020 to 2025 respectively and Ireland has contributed €2.1 billion to date in 2026.

With regard to projected contributions, my Department’s most recent forecast was prepared for Budget 2026, for the remaining years of the current Multiannual Financial Framework period, which ends in 2027. My officials will continue to work on revising these forecasts as the MFF period progresses. The current projected contributions for the remaining two years are estimated at €4.4 billion in 2026 and €5 billion in 2027. This increase is linked to several factors, including the size of the annual EU budget and Ireland’s strong economic performance.

Negotiations are ongoing at EU-level since July last year on the Commission’s proposal for the next MFF covering 2028 to 2034. Ireland’s EU budget contributions for the years 2028 to 2030 will depend on the results of those negotiations: namely, the volume of the agreed budget for the years in question, and any changes to the EU budget’s revenue system.