The European Commission has paid Ireland €249 million in grants under the EU’s post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), part of the wider NextGenerationEU funding programme.
The payment was made after Ireland submitted its fourth request for funds on 10 February 2026, which the Commission approved on 8 April 2026, the EU executive informed on Thursday.
The Commission said it concluded Ireland had met eight required “milestones and targets” — specific reforms or investments that must be completed before money is released.
Funding linked to the latest payment includes measures connected to railway electrification, e-health services, public administration, higher education, re-skilling and up-skilling, and the deployment of renewable energy.
Most of Ireland’s allocation already paid
Ireland has now received 80% of the total funding allocated to its recovery and resilience plan, with 80% of the plan’s milestones and targets fulfilled, the Commission said.
Payments under the RRF are performance-based, meaning countries receive money only after completing agreed steps in their national plans.
All remaining milestones and targets must be implemented by August 2026, with final payment requests due by the end of September 2026, as the facility is due to close at the end of 2026.
