European Parliament resolution of 20 May 2021 on the right of information of the Parliament regarding the ongoing assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans (2021/2703(RSP))
Date: 2021-05-20
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, EU aid, coronavirus disease, disclosure of information, economic and social cohesion, economic recovery, economic reform, epidemic, interinstitutional cooperation (EU), structural adjustment








C_2022015EN.01018401.xml










12.1.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 15/184






P9_TA(2021)0257
The right of information of the Parliament regarding the ongoing assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans
European Parliament resolution of 20 May 2021 on the right of information of the Parliament regarding the ongoing assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans (2021/2703(RSP))
(2022/C 15/19)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (1) (RRF Regulation),










—


having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas the RRF Regulation was adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure;










B.


whereas the RRF is an unprecedented instrument in terms of volume and means of financing;










C.


whereas democratic control and parliamentary scrutiny over the implementation of the RRF is only possible with the full involvement of Parliament at all stages;










D.


whereas Article 26 of the RRF Regulation establishes a recovery and resilience dialogue in order to ensure greater transparency and accountability and in order for the Commission to provide information to Parliament concerning, among other things, the recovery and resilience plans of the Member States and the assessment thereof;










E.


whereas Parliament may express its views on the issues addressed under the recovery and resilience dialogue, including through resolutions and exchanges with the Commission, and whereas the Commission must take these views into account;










F.


whereas Parliament may invite the Commission to provide information on the state of play of the assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans in the recovery and resilience dialogue;










G.


whereas the Member States should have submitted their national recovery and resilience plans to the Commission by 30 April 2021, as a rule;










H.


whereas to date, 18 Member States have submitted their recovery and resilience plans to the Commission;










I.


whereas the Commission must assess each national recovery and resilience plan within a period of two months after its submission;










J.


whereas the Commission has shared the national recovery and resilience plans submitted with Parliament and the Council;










K.


whereas Parliament held a plenary debate on 11 March 2021 on ‘Respecting the partnership principle, in the preparation and implementation of National Recovery and Resilience Plans, and ensuring good governance of the spending’;










L.


whereas on 20 January 2021, the Committee of the Regions and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions published the results of their targeted consultation on ‘The involvement of municipalities, cities and regions in the preparation of the national Recovery and Resilience Plans’;












1.


Welcomes the Commission’s efforts to ensure the swift adoption of the relevant Council implementing decisions linked to the national recovery and resilience plans before the summer, and its continuous engagement with Member States to help them deliver high-quality plans;












2.


Reminds the Commission to fulfil its obligations under the RRF Regulation to provide Parliament with all relevant information on the state of play of the implementation of the RRF Regulation and to take into account any elements arising from the views expressed through the recovery and resilience dialogue, including the views shared by the relevant committees and in plenary resolutions;












3.


Believes that, in order to ensure proper democratic oversight over and parliamentary scrutiny of the implementation of the RRF and greater transparency and democratic accountability, the Commission must regularly inform Parliament, orally and in writing, of the status of the assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans; highlights that in line with the RRF Regulation, Parliament is entitled to receive such information in the context of the recovery and resilience dialogue;












4.


Calls on the Commission to provide all relevant background information and a summary of the reforms and investment set out in the plans submitted related to the scope based on the six pillars (including the general and specific objectives and the horizontal principles) and the 11 assessment criteria set out in the RRF Regulation;












5.


Reiterates Parliament’s expectation that information is provided in an easily understandable and comparable format, including any existing translations of documents submitted by Member States;












6.


Believes that sharing any preliminary assessment of the plans does not pre-judge the outcome of the procedure; considers that this would improve the recovery and resilience dialogue as most national recovery and resilience plans are, at the moment of submission, in a very advanced state of maturity and likely to be approved;












7.


Is convinced that full transparency and accountability is required from the Commission in order to ensure and enhance the democratic legitimacy and citizen ownership of the RRF;












8.


Recalls that Article 18(4)(q) of the RRF Regulation states that national recovery and resilience plans should contain ‘a summary of the consultation process, conducted in accordance with the national legal framework, of local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations, youth organisations and other relevant stakeholders, and how the input of the stakeholders is reflected in the recovery and resilience plan’; calls on the Commission to prompt the Member States to consult all national stakeholders and to ensure the involvement of civil society and local and regional authorities in the implementation of the plans and, in particular, in their monitoring, and to ensure that consultations take place for future amendments or new plans, if any;












9.


Calls on the Commission to ensure full transparency with regard to the timeline for the approval of the delegated acts subsequent to the RRF Regulation, namely the delegated acts on the recovery and resilience scoreboard and on the methodology for reporting social expenditure, including on children and youth, and to take into account the relevant elements of the recovery and resilience dialogue; calls, furthermore, for the swift approval of these delegated acts before the summer recess;












10.


Calls on the Commission to ensure that prior to the assessment of the fulfilment of the milestones and targets agreed in the Council implementing decision and the national recovery and resilience plans, Parliament is provided with the preliminary findings concerning the fulfilment of the milestones and targets, as required by Article 25(4) of the RRF Regulation;












11.


Reminds the Council that ‘relevant outcomes of discussions held in Council preparatory bodies shall be shared with the competent committee of the European Parliament’;












12.


Invites the Commission to continue following an open, transparent and constructive approach during the recovery and resilience dialogue;












13.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the European Council and the Commission.






(1)  OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17.