France Pushes EU Revenue Plan Above €60 Billion for the 2028–34 Budget

France is pressing for a European Union revenue package that generates more than €60 billion a year for the 2028–34 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Its goal is not a separate French plan so much as a stronger political push for the European Commission’s July 2025 “own resources” package—and, potentially, further EU-level revenue streams. Paris argues that this would help finance common priorities such as defence and competitiveness while reducing reliance on larger payments from national budgets. 734

A crucial distinction: these proposals are commonly described as EU-wide taxes, but the Commission says the EU does not itself have a general power to levy taxes. The package would instead redirect specified shares of revenue or require national contributions under the EU’s own-resources system. 4

The five proposed EU own resources

The Commission’s July 2025 package contains five elements:

1. ETS1 revenue: transfer 30% of revenue from the existing EU Emissions Trading System’s first phase to the EU budget. Estimated average annual revenue: €9.6 billion. 4
2. CBAM revenue: transfer 75% of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism receipts to the EU budget. CBAM applies a carbon-related charge to specified imports. Estimated annual revenue: €1.4 billion. 4
3. Non-collected e-waste: a national contribution of €2 per kilogram of electrical and electronic equipment not collected for recycling. Estimated annual revenue: about €15 billion. 36
4. Tobacco Excise Duty Own Resource (TEDOR): a contribution equal to 15% of revenue generated from harmonised minimum excise-duty rates on manufactured tobacco and related products. 16
5. Corporate Resource for Europe (CORE): a progressive contribution from large companies with annual net turnover starting at €100 million. 316

Together, the five new resources are estimated to raise €43.9 billion a year in 2025 prices, or €49.4 billion in current prices. The wider Commission package, which also adjusts existing own resources, is estimated to raise €58.2 billion annually in 2025 prices—or €65.6 billion in current prices. That latter figure explains how France’s “more than €60 billion” target aligns with the Commission’s broader revenue package. 17

Which measures have the most support?

The most politically viable elements currently appear to be the carbon-linked measures and e-waste contribution. The ETS1 transfer builds on an established carbon-market revenue stream; CBAM is framed as a way to collect revenue from carbon-intensive imports; and the e-waste measure fits the EU’s circular-economy agenda. Reporting on the negotiations identifies CBAM and e-waste as the leading candidates for consensus. 267

The other proposals face greater resistance:

• CORE is contentious because governments are concerned about the effects on companies operating or headquartered in their countries. France has nevertheless backed it. 8
• TEDOR is difficult because tobacco-excise revenue is an important national tax base. 6

The figures are estimates, not guaranteed receipts. They depend on factors including carbon prices, import volumes, waste-collection data and the final design agreed by governments. 1722

Why France is pushing hardest

France’s advocacy is closely tied to its constrained fiscal position. The Commission projected France’s general-government deficit at 5.1% of GDP in 2025 and 2026, while interest payments were expected to keep rising. 2831

For Paris, a larger EU revenue base offers a way to support shared spending without relying solely on increased national contributions—an especially important consideration for a government with limited room to increase borrowing or domestic taxation. France has also resisted reducing the overall size of the next EU budget. 34

The extra levies Paris wants explored

France’s broader political agenda goes beyond the Commission’s five-item proposal. Paris has advocated looking for EU-level revenue from large technology companies, including U.S.-linked platforms, and from foreign polluters, rather than relying only on national contributions. 34

Separate proposals discussed by the European Parliament and examined by the Commission include levies related to:

• large digital platforms or digital services;
• crypto assets or crypto-related activity;
• online gambling and betting; and
• a possible extension of carbon-border tools. 273038

These ideas should not be confused with measures already in the July 2025 package. They remain additional options under discussion, not agreed EU revenues. 327

What happens next

European Council President António Costa is aiming for political agreement on the revenue basket in October 2026, followed by an agreement on the full 2028–34 MFF by the end of 2026. 6

Those dates are targets rather than firm enactment deadlines. Decisions on EU own resources require unanimous approval by member states and ratification in accordance with their national constitutional requirements. The most divisive items—especially corporate and tobacco-related revenue—could therefore determine whether the timetable holds. 617

The practical takeaway

France is not proposing a single new €60 billion tax. It is trying to build support for a portfolio of EU budget revenues: five Commission proposals worth roughly €44 billion a year on their own, plus changes to existing revenue arrangements that bring the package above €60 billion in current prices. The early political consensus appears strongest around carbon-border, emissions-trading and e-waste revenue; the corporate, tobacco, digital, crypto and gambling ideas are likely to face the tougher negotiations. 617