La France plaide pour 60 milliards d’euros de nouvelles taxes européennes

Brussels — France has claimed that the new European taxes, discussed in the context of the EU's upcoming multiannual budget, could exceed €60 billion, according to three European diplomats who wished to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the talks. Paris emerged as the primary advocate for these new taxes, known as "own resources" in Brussels jargon, emphasizing that they would generate additional revenue for EU priorities like defense and competitiveness, while reducing national contributions.

French support is crucial for reaching an agreement among European governments on a budget proposal by the end of the year, ahead of elections in 2027 in France, Italy, Poland, and Spain that could derail negotiations. Some still fear a budget agreement unfavorable to France may benefit the National Rally, with presidential candidate Marine Le Pen currently leading polls and calling for halving Paris' EU budget contributions.

Ireland is preparing a "lighter" list Ireland's permanent representative to the European Union, Philippe Léglise-Costa, told colleagues that the new European taxes should amount to more than €60 billion—a steep threshold for most other nations, according to diplomats with direct knowledge of the discussions. While most governments favor establishing new own resources, they express reservations about specific proposals on the table.

The European Commission's July 2025 proposal featured five new taxes potentially generating up to €66 billion in extra revenue, but this plan faced resistance from member states. The Irish presidency of the EU Council, driving discussions on the upcoming multiannual financial framework (MFF), aims to narrow the list of acceptable own resources at an October 15th EU leaders summit.

Dublin welcomed the "consensus" among governments to introduce taxes on foreign polluters (the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, or CBAM) and electronic waste, which could collectively generate €1.64 billion and €17.9 billion annually from 2028 to 2034. During Tuesday's talks, the Commission hinted at adjusting certain fiscal proposals to generate more revenue than initially planned, a diplomat notes.

However, a blow for France: other fiscal proposals—targeting tobacco products, corporate revenue, and carbon market revenues (or emissions trading system)—met opposition from several nations, according to an Ireland note seen by POLITICO.