Ireland has assumed a central role in brokering a deal between 27 EU member states on the bloc’s next long-term budget framework.
The negotiations cover how the EU spends close to €2trn between 2028 and 2034, a figure that represents one of the most significant financial frameworks in the bloc’s history.
Beyond spending, the talks increasingly focus on how Brussels raises money itself, adding another layer of complexity to the already difficult negotiations.
The European Commission has been urged to consider a union-wide tax plan drawing on electronic waste, tobacco excise duties, and contributions from large companies operating in the Single Market.
Together, the Commission estimates its proposed new resources could generate around €58.5bn a year at 2025 prices, a substantial injection of fresh revenue into EU coffers.
Romanian MEP and European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu has put the gambling industry firmly in the frame, proposing a 1% to 2% EU levy on online gambling and betting.
Negrescu argues that a standardised levy on the European online gambling sector could raise at least €4bn annually, creating an additional revenue stream for EU programmes from 2028 onwards.
His proposal has received backing from members of the Socialists and Democrats of Europe, giving the initiative meaningful political weight inside the European Parliament.
For the gambling industry, Ireland’s presidency of these negotiations carries particular significance, as the outcome will determine whether a pan-European gambling tax becomes a genuine policy reality.
The central question is whether the proposed gambling levy is feasible for EU members to adopt as a viable EU own resource, or whether member states will insist on retaining full control over taxation in this sector.
The outcome will carry far-reaching implications for future coordination across Europe’s fragmented gambling market, which currently operates under a patchwork of national regulatory regimes.
Opposition to the levy has already emerged at the highest levels, with Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela stating he will reject proposals for an EU-wide gambling levy outright.
Abela’s position is clear, arguing that taxation and fiscal sovereignty should remain the competencies of individual member states rather than being delegated upward to Brussels.
Malta’s resistance is particularly significant given the country’s status as a major hub for licensed online gambling operators across Europe.
The current timeline targets an official agreement by the end of 2026, followed by the adoption of legislative acts in 2027 and the release of fresh EU funds from January 2028 onwards.
