In 2008, Member States' contributions to the European Union budget almost exactly matched agreed spending for the year. With just over 1.5% of the overall EU budget unspent, the high implementation rate of funds has left another record low surplus, reflecting effective budgetary management and ongoing efforts only to call on Member States for payments that are strictly necessary. The end-of-year surplus - the difference between all EU budget revenue and spending - amounted to €1.79bn of the total €115.771bn budget in 2008 and will be returned to Member States. This 1.5% compares to 16% in 2001, when the EU budget surplus was at its peak.

Dalia Grybauskaitė, EU Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget, commented "consistently high levels of budget execution are helping ease the pressure on national finances". She underlined the particular importance of tight budgetary management in difficult economic times adding "every single euro paid into the EU budget counts and the low level of leftover funds in 2008 demonstrates how money did not lie idle."

Financial management reforms introduced over the past years have seen budget surpluses fall dramatically by 90% since 2001.

Evolution of EU budget surplus

[ Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED ]

Surplus returned to Member States:

Since EU rules set out that the EU budget must be balanced over the year, any extra cash is returned to Member States. The following table provides the figures of funds returned per Member State. The amount is calculated on the basis of each country's Gross National Income (GNI).

http://ec.europa.eu/budget

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/grybauskaite/index_en.htm

EU Budget 2009: gearing up for economic recovery

The official signature of the EU budget 2009 took place at the European Parliament Strasbourg on December 18th 2008.

In 2009, the biggest share of the EU budget - 45% or €60 billion - will go to research, innovation, employment and regional development programmes to help Europe respond to the current economic crisis. An 11% increase in research and a 22% increase in the EU's innovation programme will help boost competitiveness and a low-carbon economy. Funds for agriculture remain stable, taking over 40% of EU funding, while spending on the environment and rural development will rise by 2.9%. Europe's external policies will also see spending grow in 2009, including €0.6 billion for the €1 billion food facility to help developing countries respond to rising food prices.