“Doubts” are being expressed within the EU27 about the technical feasibility of the three plans for new own resources for the European budget put forward by the European Parliament. This was confirmed to Agence Europe by four European diplomats, on Friday 5 June, as the permanent representatives of the Member States in Brussels discussed the issue in the evening. In April, MEPs proposed creating new European taxes on cryptocurrencies, digital giants and online gambling in order to fund the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
“None of these three ideas enjoys consensus at the moment, not least because there are doubts about the technical complexity of implementing them. Some States also need more time to analyse them”, summarised one of these sources. “Each of these proposals seems to be accompanied by fairly significant technical and administrative difficulties”, said another person close to the matter.
On 29 May, the European Commission published a document assessing the potential revenue from these three plans (see EUROPE 13877/2), while also mentioning certain obstacles to their implementation (see EUROPE 13879/21). Most Member States do not yet have an official position on these avenues, which are expected to be raised again at the European Council on 18 and 19 June.
France, for its part, says it is “open to new ideas”, without indicating, at this stage, its preference among the three. The French Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, hopes to make progress on the subject of own resources at the next ‘General Affairs’ Council, on 16 June in Luxembourg.
Poland, meanwhile, would welcome a Europe-wide digital levy, and says it is also open to discussing a tax levy on crypto-assets. Warsaw is, however, one of the capitals sceptical about the plan concerning online gambling, due to the lack of prior harmonisation of national regulatory frameworks. Many delegations also doubt that Malta, which hosts the main online betting and gambling sites, will give the green light.
On the subject of crypto-assets, the opacity of this market and the possibilities of circumventing a potential tax are among the limitations mentioned. As for the tax on digital companies, which would primarily target US giants, it is Washington’s reaction that is discouraging several countries.
Of the five other new own resources proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13728/20), none enjoys the unanimity required for adoption.
Against this backdrop, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council is due to unveil its ‘negotiation box’ for the 2028-2034 MFF next week. (Original version in French by Clément Solal)