What’s the scorecard on Member State recovery plans?

With member states’ national recovery plans due to be submitted to the European Commission by end-April, how are they making the most of the largest stimulus package ever financed through the EU budget?

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will offer large-scale financial support for investment and reforms, supporting member states in their efforts to ‘build back better’ in the aftermath of the health, social and economic crises which have shaken Europe and the world over the last year. Underlining the Facility is the mandate that all recovery and resilience plans must dedicate a minimum of 37% of expenditure to climate investment and reform and 20% to fostering the digital transition.

As the final recovery and resilience plans are submitted to the Commission throughout the month, they will serve as a window into how member states plan to answer the call of the twin green and digital transitions. Critical, however, will be to have the mechanisms in place to ensure that states are meeting their targets.

• How has the overall involvement of civil society been in the drafting of the national plans?
• How can recovery plans be used as an opportunity to level the playing field across the EU?
• What instruments should be in place to measure member states’ progress in implementation?
• How will citizens benefit from projects set out in these plans?