On Thursday, 27 May, the European Commission approved granting Belgium, France, Germany, and Slovakia a total of €838.8 million to combat the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. These funds come from the REACT-EU initiative, which is part of the NextGenerationEU Recovery Plan.
Belgium will receive €31.7 million through the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) for the provision of food and material assistance to the most vulnerable people.
The French region Grand Est will receive €148.3 million to help people looking for their first job and to invest in training, for caregivers in particular. In addition, the aid will aim to support the regional healthcare system. These funds will also be used to invest in the energy efficiency of public buildings and social housing.
The island of Réunion, a French overseas region, will receive €256 million in aid that is not only primarily earmarked for staff in the healthcare sector but also intended to ensure working capital and investments in businesses (particularly in tourism). The support will also be targeted at sustainable mobility and digitalisation.
Germany will receive an additional €86 million for the European Social Fund for the Land of Baden-Württemberg to support employment, especially for young people, in connection with the Youth Guarantee. The investments will also be targeted at tackling child poverty.
Finally, Slovakia will receive an additional €316.8 million to support job-creation and job-retention measures, also through training.
The reprogramming to integrate the €47.5 billion provided for in REACT-EU is underway. Concerns have been raised in the European Commission and the European Parliament regarding the delays in the programming of the Cohesion Fund for the 2021–2027 period due to the preparatory work done under NextGenerationEU (see EUROPE 12727/9). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)