The distribution of expenditures in the 2004 budget of the European Union clearly shows that it is the “old” nations of the Union that continue to draw the greatest benefits from what is now a 25-member Union. The 2004 budget formed a further step towards the structural modernization of EU expenditures. Approximately 92 billion euros were distributed between the beneficiaries in the member states. Each country received funds for regional policies, agriculture, competitiveness, employment and research; 7.5 billion euros went to countries outside the Union or to the advantage of various member states. For all ten new member states the budgetary allocations for 2004 were substantially better than those in 2003, when they were not yet in the EU. These are the most important results that emerge from the report on the allocation of EU funds per member state in 2004, presented on 22 September. The major beneficiary of EU funds in 2004 was Spain (16.4 billion euros), followed by France (12.9 billion), Germany (11.7 billion), Italy (10.4 billion) and the United Kingdom (7.1 billion). Among the new entries in the Union the highest position among the beneficiaries, the tenth, is held by Poland, which received 2.7 billion euros. See further: http://europa.eu.int/comm/budget/agenda2000/reports_en.htm. Last year’s financial report can be consulted on the website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/budget/pdf/execution/execution/financialreport04/rap_fin_it.pdf
