In 2022, the Netherlands received more than €2.9 billion in subsidies from the European Commission. These funds are allocated for various purposes falling under 15 theme groups.
The distribution of funds received by the Netherlands across different groups of subjects differs from that in other countries and from total European spending.
Of the €2.9 billion that the Netherlands received from Brussels in 2022, 38% falls within the research and innovation cluster (more than €1.1 billion). The funds are mainly allocated to universities and colleges.
The second main item is agriculture and maritime policy, with a value of 847 million euros (29%). This money is usually paid to agricultural companies.
In third place comes investment in people, social cohesion and values, such as supporting vulnerable and unemployed workers.
The Netherlands received 265 million euros for this purpose. Safety, European strategic investments and various other subsidies follow remotely.
In total, the European Commission spent approximately €139 billion on member states, spread across these 15 items.
In addition to the funds from the 15 groups, the Netherlands received more than 490 million euros from the Solidarity Mechanism in 2022 and more than 100 million to finance European institutions.
In per capita terms, the Netherlands receives the least subsidies from the European Union after Germany. The Netherlands received approximately €200 per resident. The Netherlands received a total of €3.5 billion from the European Commission.
