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The Commission has received official recovery and resilience plans from Croatia and Lithuania. These plans set out the reforms and public investment projects that each Member State plans to implement with the support of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
The RRF is the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU, the EU’s plan for emerging stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. It will provide up to €672.5 billion to support investments and reforms (in 2018 prices). This breaks down into grants worth a total of €312.5 billion and €360 billion in loans. The RRF will play a crucial role in helping Europe emerge stronger from the crisis, and securing the green and digital transitions.
The presentation of these plans follows an intensive dialogue between the Commission and the national authorities of these Member States over the past number of months.
Croatia’s recovery and resilience plan
Croatia has requested a total of almost €6.4 billion in grants under the RRF.
The Croatian plan is structured around five components: green and digital economy, public administration and judiciary, education, science and research, labour market and social protection, healthcare. It also encompasses one initiative on building renovation. The plan includes measures to improve business environment, education, research and development, energy-efficiency in buildings, zero-emission transport and the development of renewable energy sources. Projects in the plan cover the entire lifetime of the RRF until 2026. The plan proposes projects in all seven European flagship areas.
Lithuania’s recovery and resilience plan
Lithuania has requested a total of €2.2 billion in grants under the RRF.
The Lithuanian plan is structured around seven components: a resilient health sector, green and digital transitions, high quality education, innovation and higher education, efficient public sector, and social inclusion. The plan includes measures in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transport, digital skills, research and innovation, digitalisation of public administration, and the strengthening of active labour market policies. Projects in the plan cover the entire lifetime of the RRF until 2026. The plan proposes projects in all seven European flagship areas.
Next steps
The Commission will assess the plans within the next two months based on the eleven criteria set out in the Regulation and translate their contents into legally binding acts. This assessment will notably include a review of whether the plans contribute to effectively addressing all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the relevant country-specific recommendations issued in the context of the European Semester. The Commission will also assess whether the plans dedicate at least 37% of expenditure to investments and reforms that support climate objectives, and 20% to the digital transition.
The Council will have, as a rule, four weeks to adopt the Commission proposal for a Council Implementing Decision.
The Council’s approval of the plans would pave the way for the disbursement of a 13% pre-financing to these Member States. This is subject to the entry into force of the Own Resources Decision, which must first be approved by all Member States.
The Commission has now received a total of 17 recovery and resilience plans, from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Slovakia. It will continue to engage intensively with the remaining Member States to help them deliver high quality plans.
