The EU has paid out €450 billion in grants and loans through its Recovery and Resilience Facility, nearly 80% of the total amount requested by member states.
The figures were published on Wednesday in the European Commission’s fifth annual report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the main spending tool under the EU’s NextGenerationEU post-pandemic recovery package.
The facility was created in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Member states had until 31 August 2026 to complete the milestones and targets in their national recovery plans, and the Commission is now assessing the final 32 payment requests.
The remaining disbursements total €123 billion — 21% of the overall envelope — and are due to be completed by the end of 2026.
Over the lifetime of the programme, member states have worked to achieve almost 6,000 milestones and targets, with 4,082 already fulfilled and 1,899 under assessment.
Digital and green spending
Digital investments backed by the facility total €140 billion, the Commission said.
It estimated that every €1 invested in digital measures under the programme can generate €1.5 in economic output within the EU by 2030.
Projects cited in the report include Austria’s expansion of high-capacity broadband, support for microelectronics in Germany, and digitalisation of judicial systems in Bulgaria, Malta, the Netherlands and Portugal, the Commission said.
It also pointed to support for electronic payments in Greece and Italy’s “Single Customs Window” for coordinating customs procedures.
The report noted that €287 billion has been allocated to the green transition, with supported investments estimated to deliver annual greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent to 1.5% of EU emissions, using 2021 as a baseline.
Reforms backed by the facility could add savings equivalent to a further 1.4% of EU emissions annually.
Examples listed include support in Czechia for low-emission heating systems and renewable energy technologies, which are expected to save at least 500,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year.
The Commission also cited regulatory changes in Poland to support renewable energy generation, including commitments to increase wind and photovoltaic capacity, with one measure estimated to save emissions corresponding to around 4% of Poland’s 2021 emissions.
EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc was focused on assessing the final payment requests and “bringing the Facility to a successful conclusion.”
