Steering and Monitoring the Recovery and Resilience Plans: Reading between the Lines

Abstract

This paper provides an extensive account of the procedures and rules of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

It analyses the European Commission’s guidance and offers insights into how the process is being steered and how the implementation of the NRRPs will be monitored. The aim is to highlight not only the opportunities, but also the pitfalls of the RRF governance system. We find a number of difficulties on which member states and the European Commission should focus. A major risk is getting lost in administrative procedures and taxonomy exercises, and neglecting the fundamental pillar for a successful recovery, namely structural reforms that have a direct and lasting impact on the stability and resilience of the European economies and that are in line with EU priorities.

Keywords: Next Generation EU, EU budget, EU Recovery and Resilience plan