The European Parliament expressed concern on Wednesday about the August 2026 deadline by which Member States must complete agreed reforms and investments in the EU post-Covid recovery plan to secure all available grants and loans.
In a resolution adopted with 421 votes in favour, 180 against, and 55 abstentions, the Parliament requested that the European Commission be given the authority to extend projects nearing completion by up to 18 months, as 70% of the agreed milestones and targets have yet to be achieved.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the main financial arm of the recovery plan, is set to end on 31 August 2026. Final payments need to be made by 31 December of the same year. The Commission has recently issued guidelines to assist Member States in adjusting their national plans to focus on measures that can realistically be completed by the end of 2026.
In Belgium, the Federal Government last Friday approved several modifications to align with these recommendations.
Belgium is entitled to €5 billion in grants and €244 million in low-interest loans. So far, it has received €2.456 billion and submitted a third payment request worth €634 million, according to the European Commission. A fourth request is expected by the end of the year.
Concerns have been raised over the cost of interest payments related to the recovery instrument.
Members of the parliament also emphasised the need to strengthen audit and control mechanisms within the RRF to prevent abuse, double funding, and overlap with other EU programmes.
