The future of the EU

EU Commission wants to get revenue from new corporate tax

The EU Commission is proposing a European corporate tax as part of the Union's new budget presented yesterday, several media outlets report. The tax will cover larger companies, with a net turnover of over 100 million euros, just over 1,100 million Swedish kronor.

The money will help finance the budget, which will cover 2,000 billion euros between 2028 and 2034. The budget will, among other things, finance a defense fund, go to migration and border protection and provide resources for research.

Now a negotiation process about the budget is beginning, which is expected to be long and conflict-filled, writes Euronews. "The budget is the mother of all EU conflicts," writes the site.

The winners and losers of the EU's new giant budget

The EU budget of around 2,000 billion euros is still just a proposal, but it has already stirred up strong emotions. Politico has gone through the proposal and lists who will actually win and lose if the budget is passed.

Among the losers are farmers, whose support will be significantly reduced compared to the previous long-term budget. To top it off, it is also proposed that the farmers' budget line be merged with other policy areas.

"Farmers are furious," writes the political website.

Other losers are the tobacco industry, which could face higher taxes, and the environment. In particular, the work for biodiversity, which will lose its own department and be included in the larger climate and environmental goal.

Politico lists Ukraine and countries bordering Russia as among the budget winners, who will receive more support. Investments in defense will also increase significantly – according to the President of the European Commission, “five times more than today”.

Other budget winners are digital technology, research and culture.

LRF warns that new EU budget could hit food prices

The farmers’ interest organization LRF is “strongly critical” of the EU’s long-term budget. This is because the part of the budget earmarked for agriculture is being reduced.

– It is particularly serious for Sweden and Swedish consumers who risk higher food prices, says chairman Palle Borgström in a press release.

The organization writes that member states will have greater freedom to decide on the distribution of funds themselves and this could lead to resources being diverted to other areas.