11/05/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 11 May, the European Commission welcomed the final approval by the European Parliament, the day before in plenary session in Strasbourg, of the implementation of the EU budget in 2021 (see EUROPE 13179/17), the first year of implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), following the Covid-19 crisis. “This is a vote of confidence and we will do everything to prove that it is justified by continuing our efforts and doing even better in the coming years”, commented Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn. The annual budgetary discharge is the final approval granted by the European Parliament pertaining to the way in which the European Commission, in cooperation with Member States, has implemented the EU budget in a given year. Having now received final approval, the 2021 financial year is now closed. (PLD)