Noting with concern that the remaining timeframe for the implementation of national post-Covid-19 recovery plans is “too short”, the European Parliament’s Committees on Budget (BUDG) and Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) recommended by a large majority (63 votes in favour, 12 against, 6 abstentions), on Tuesday 20 May, “an 18-month extension” of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the budgetary instrument of the Next Generation EU recovery plan, in order to allow, if necessary, the finalisation of “mature projects”.
Such an extension will be conducted by the European Commission “based on objective, clear and fair benchmarks”, according to the MEPs. Failing that, they look favourably on the possibility of establishing a mechanism that will allow ongoing projects to be finalised through other funding systems, including the ‘European Investment Fund’ and the future ‘European Competitiveness Fund’.
Asked about a possible extension of the RRF, a Commission spokesman, Maciej Berestecki, said that the EU institution’s position had not changed. “The final date for the Recovery Plan is the end of 2026. Until then, all payments must be made by the European Commission”, he said.
Post-2027 MFF. The BUDG and ECON committees claim that the experience of the European Recovery Plan provides “valuable lessons” for the introduction of performance-based instruments under the next post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), although they ask that the critical observations of the European Court of Auditors (see EUROPE 13634/23) be taken into account. They add that making European financial aid conditional on reforms and/or investment can yield positive results, provided that future performance-based budgetary instruments are “well targeted and aligned with the financing of European public goods”.
MEPs are also calling for independent assessments of the socio-economic impact of the European Recovery Plan.
To see the compromise amendments put to the vote in the parliamentary committees: https://aeur.eu/f/gx5 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)