Debate: Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Paolo Gentiloni
Language: EN

But let me say very clearly that the situation confirms the importance and the timeliness of the Facility. The RRF ensures that the Union acts as one in such difficult times, creating effective and aligned measures to boost investments and reforms across all Member States. And this is especially important with the low level of growth that we have in these months. Of course, it is not easy to deliver under such a short time frame. As your report highlights, the Commission must and will closely monitor Member States’ progress in implementing the plans. And we will only disburse funds when Member States fulfil the milestones and targets they have committed to. Overall, the RRF is supporting the green transition by allocating almost 40% of national plans to the climate and financing only measures that do no significant harm to the environment. Digitalisation is also crucial, with over well over 20% of the funds. The plans also contribute to social objectives and the implementation of the pillar of social rights. Around 30% of funds contribute to social expenditure for education, labour market, health and skills. So a swift implementation of measures across the six pillars of the regulation is key, and Member States are acting on all six pillars. When looking back at the progress made so far, we have almost EUR 100 billion in RRF funds disbursed and EUR 114 billion issued in just one year. We can proudly say that implementation is well on track and I am happy that your implementation report expresses the same view. It acknowledges the work done by Member States and the EU institutions to bring the RRF to life, and I am glad that the Parliament has found our Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and the first RRF annual report useful. We take note of the Parliament’s call for better communication in the Member States. We will take up this call with our interlocutors in the Member States and discuss how each can be more transparent and proactive in communicating the implementation and the content of their plans with the stakeholders. I would like to reaffirm that we will make no compromise when it comes to the protection of the Union’s financial interests. This is why we must also protect the Union’s budget against breaches of the rule of law. As you know, a few weeks ago we published our assessment of the Polish plan. The Commission has worked closely with the Polish authorities for more than one year since the submission of the plan and scrutinised each measure. Poland has committed to strengthen important aspects of the independence of the judiciary. To leave no ambiguity on the matter, when the Council adopts a plan the real work begins. Poland needs to deliver on its commitments on the rule of law before any payment can be made. The positive assessment and adoption of the plan does not lead in itself to any disbursement. We will also continue to address rule of law issues through other instruments specifically designed for this purpose. Let me end now with a glimpse to REPowerEU. You have seen the proposal for which we want to use the power and the available loan capacity of the RRF, as well as additional funds, to swiftly and effectively strengthen Europe’s open strategic autonomy, wean ourselves off Russian fossil fuels, support renewables, and reduce energy consumption overall. So I look forward to hearing your views also on REPowerEU during this debate, and to work with you in the coming months to bring this important proposal to life.