The vulgate wants Berlin to pay for everyone, while the cicadas of southern Europe are only busy squandering its resources. In reality, in recent years, the recipient countries of the aid themselves have taken on a considerable burden in keeping the Community architecture on its feet. Among these also and above all Italy. The German media are now finally realizing this too. In an article published last Thursday in the online version of the weekly Der Spiegel, the author, Tina Friedrich, complete with a clarifying graph, highlights how Rome actually contributes the most to the European budget. And, according to the latest agreements made in Brussels, this will also be the case for the next four years. «Compared to 2011 gross domestic product, no other country has contributed as much to the European budget as ItalyHe explains Der Spiegel. Last year we transferred around 0,38% of the wealth produced at home to Brussels. This is almost 6 billion, speaking of net figures. In other words, everything Italy gets back in terms of structural funds by no means equals the amount it gives back.
In short, our country is a net contributor to the EU and can therefore hardly be reproached for having received money at the expense of the other member states. And mind you, the Italian share is growing not only and not so much because the wealth produced in Italy is declining. The reasoning also applies to past years, when Italy was not in a recession, he argues Der Spiegel, who then goes on to critically analyze the German contribution to the EU budget. «Even Belgium and the Netherlands transfer more resources to the EU than does Berlin, which is in third place with Finland and Denmark». The last time Germany paid more than all other member states was in 2000, now twelve years ago. Only in the finale, however, does the journalist mention the other pillar that makes Italy the paymaster of Europe, i.e. the contributions paid into the stabilization funds to support countries in crisis. «Italy, right after Germany and France, is the third largest contributor, but, despite its heavy debt, has not yet received a penny from the different European parachutes».
Bitter conclusion: the individual Member States' ability to pay continues to be linked not so much to national GDP, but rather to the art of knowing how to bargain within the European sphere. While Great Britain saves by obtaining favorable conditions, Italy pays. And he gets even less back than he gave. Cuckolded and beaten, one might say.
