On Tuesday 14 March, EU Finance Ministers will take stock of the progress of ‘REPowerEU’ chapters to be included in post-Covid-19 national recovery plans aimed at reducing the EU’s dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and accelerating the energy transition (see EUROPE 13084/15).
In a note that will serve as a basis for the discussions, the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council asks the Member States about the main challenges and opportunities in preparing this future chapter, with EU regulations encouraging the realisation of cross-border projects. It asks how they intend to achieve a timely implementation of the change in the national recovery plan despite the current high levels of uncertainty with high inflation and disruptions in supply chains.
The Commission has invited Member States to submit the REPowerEU chapters to the Commission by the end of April at the latest, with a view to approval at European level by the summer (see EUROPE 13126/16).
The Swedish Presidency emphasises that the bulk of the funding for these chapters will come from the ‘loan’ component of the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan, with an envelope of €225 billion still available. Member States have until the end of March to inform the Commission whether or not they intend to make use of the loans allocated to them.
According to our information, no formal request has yet been received by the EU institution.
See the Swedish Presidency note: https://aeur.eu/f/5ny (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)