Europe: who pays the bills?

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  1. member of the bewildered herd

  (24 November 2012, 12:11AM)  Complain about this comment

  Are you seriously insinuating that a bail-out country like Ireland received less money than Czech Republic or Slovakia? What was the basis for this shamefully misleading map? How can you even compare tiny little economies like Slovakia, to an economy like the UK? The economy of Slovakia, Czech republic, Hungary or Slovenia cannot even be compared to the economy of LONDON, let alone the UK as a whole or other large member counteries.
  
  Whoever put this map here is a provocateur and deserves a punch right between the eyes.

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  2. Boris MacDonut

  (24 November 2012, 08:58PM)  Complain about this comment

  I see that of the ten net contributors the UK gives the least per head of population at £59 each per year. Even less than Italy at £67. I also note that Luxembourg gives big time, partly to assuage the guilt of being Europe's tax haven of choice.
  The five big gainers are Hungary,Greece,Lithuania, Poland and surprisingly Belgium,which I have said for some time is in a terrible economic mess.....Italy of course is less so, hence it gives more than we do. 315 million live in the contributor nations and 185 million in the recipient ones ,as you'd expect a small cost for the richer nations to ensure peace and relative prosperity in Europe. I'm happy to pay just over £1 a week for this.

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  3. Boris MacDonut

  (24 November 2012, 09:05PM)  Complain about this comment

  Oops. On closer reflection I see Luxembourg recieves £1.05billion, or £2,300 a head. The richest people in Europe are getting the most. Is this correct, as I note Luxemburg is coloured neutral green like it's larger tax haven pal Switzerland? I fear#1 is correct the chart makes little sense.

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  4. Romford Dave

  (24 November 2012, 09:09PM)  Complain about this comment

  Is it the insipidness of the pastel colours propelling your ire 'MOTBH' or is it as in my own perplexed head scratching, nothing on the map provides any balance?
  
  Too many minus' not enough plusses, more negatives than positives, the gay coloured pinks outnumbered by the bluest of blues.......
  
  What chance does the EU stand when such un-fengschweng'tities conspires against it?
  
  It was always an impossible dream, an unreachable star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far.
  
  Maybe the new Chinese Premier Xi can bring them some cheer on dream relief, even if he's not quite the man from la Manchuria.

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  5. Romford Dave

  (24 November 2012, 09:26PM)  Complain about this comment

  You killing time too Boris?
  
  X factors not the same now Ella's gone.
  
  Funny how similar X factor and politics is, both loosely based on democracy and yet more people unhappy with the outcome than those that are happy........?
  
  Not long now and the two byker grove lads will be on down under ;)

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  6. Face the music

  (25 November 2012, 02:37PM)  Complain about this comment

  The comments from MOTBH & Boris are rather non sequitur. On what planet do you reside that makes you think that some others would have to pay for others under whatever circumstances. Do you think this is like a household that parents would have to fork out for their little children? Simple household/housewife economics: now even the 'parents' have reduced cashflow, the spending of the household and wayward spendshift children must come down. In addition, this is in no way a real family anyway but imposed and tricked its way to grow into its current size. When it becomes no longer sensible and bearable to be in this false family, a divorce must be a viable option in modern society.

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  7. Aff

  (28 November 2012, 12:59PM)  Complain about this comment

  Hey Boris you must agree with the Nobel Prize being awarded to Europe too I suppose. Personally I resent that 1 quid a week and would like not to spend it on that, I can think of far more deserving causes than that.

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  8. Milton

  (28 November 2012, 02:19PM)  Complain about this comment

  To the bewildered herd : yes unfortunately the chart is probably correct, the eastern European states are financially draining western Europe. I'm not sure why you think is ok, maybe punching people is a better solution..?!
  
  Do the net contributors have to 'pay for peace' as Boris suggests and if this is what it costs, why doesn't everyone cough up in equal measure? The UK taxpayers pay for the non taxpaying nations like Greece, is this fair? There is a £1 trillion unfunded public sector pension liability sitting on the UK books, not to mention the unprecedented levels of national debt, shouldn't the £4.7 billion be more meaningfully utilised here?

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  9. No comments

  (28 November 2012, 03:09PM)  Complain about this comment

  I am not sure, but can it be that 7,5 billion is not much for Germany.

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  10. Noneleft

  (28 November 2012, 03:47PM)  Complain about this comment

  "small cost for the richer nations to ensure peace and relative prosperity in Europe"
  
  Nothing could be further from the truth - the EU has got nothing to do with peace and prosperity in Europe. To suggest such is a very superficial understanding.
  Right now, the EU is the greatest enemy of peace and prosperity which Europe faces, and is laying the groundwork for the rise of the next Hitler or Stalin.
  
  Even if it were true that the EU is securing peace and prosperity (astonishing), how foolish to trust in and pay a foreign power for things which can only be truly provided by ourselves.

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  11. Boris MacDonut

  (28 November 2012, 06:14PM)  Complain about this comment

  It is Luxembourg that offends. Richest country inEurope and it is a net recipient of another £1billion. Shocking. Corrupt.

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  12. KWB

  (29 November 2012, 12:57PM)  Complain about this comment

  Forget the financial cost to Britain – Those damned Europeans seem to have cast us adrift. Those 21 miles of clear water between us and France seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. UKIP’s new vote winner, perhaps?

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  13. Boris MacDonut

  (29 November 2012, 04:40PM)  Complain about this comment

  #12 KWB. No. Merkel has already stated that the most important thing for Germany (and France) is not to prevent Greece or Spain leaving the Euro, but to keep Britain in the EU. I agree with her.The one issue UKIP is a busted flush.

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  14. Laura T.

  (29 November 2012, 08:21PM)  Complain about this comment

  I have to say that I am quite shocked about this map as well... Italy is often viewed as a problematic country in the UE but if we look at the map, it is not so bad.
  
  Also, Luxembourg is the most shocking one with -1.3 bn euros and is considered one of the richest countries in Europe!
  I was also surprised about Belgium. I thought it was doing better. But here we can clearly see that most of the UE is in difficulty and there are always the same countries that pay the bills.
  
  However. even if this map is very interesting and tell us a lot about the contribution of countries to the UE, we need to bear in mind that those differences are due to the significant economic differences between the countries. Indeed, we cannot compare Spain or Ireland with Poland for example. I think that this map should notice that the amounts are proportional to the respective economies of the countries.
  
  

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  15. KWB

  (30 November 2012, 09:14AM)  Complain about this comment

  #13 Boris MacDonut. Er. I was, of course, alluding to the cartographical error in the article.
  ie. The UK has been moved, by plate tectonic action presumably, to now lie some 500 miles (or 804.67 of your European km) North of her correct latitude.
  Is this the cause of the recent cold weather?

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