EN EN

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 7.10.2026 COM(2026) 546 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND

THE COUNCIL

on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility

1

Contents

Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

1. State of play on the implementation of the RRF ................................................................................. 6

A. Implementation, disbursements and funding ............................................................................ 6

With 79% of funds disbursed, implementation has progressed steadily ahead of the last

big wave of payment request assessments ........................................................................................... 6

Implementation progressed at different speeds across Member States ................................ 7

The Commission issued guidance for the final months and closure of the RRF ................. 8

Suspensions remain uncommon, with few resulting in reductions ............................................. 9

The Commission continued to secure financing for the RRF through its unified funding

strategy ................................................................................................................................................................... 11

NextGenerationEU Green Bonds continue to finance climate-related RRF investments

.................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

B. Simplification and revision of RRPs ............................................................................................... 12

Member States simplified their plans to ensure timely and effective implementation by

the deadline .......................................................................................................................................................... 12

The revised RRPs continue to comply with all assessment criteria laid down in the RRF

Regulation .............................................................................................................................................................. 14

C. Final recipients under the RRF ........................................................................................................... 15

Public entities remain the main final recipients of RRF funds .................................................... 15

There is significant variation in the amounts received by the largest final recipients .. 16

The Commission and Member States work together to ensure the quality, timeliness and

accessibility of final recipient data ........................................................................................................... 17

D. Controls and audits in the implementation of the RRF................................................... 18

Ex-post controls on the legality and regularity of payments and the protection of the

European Union's financial interests remain at the core of the RRF ...................................... 19

The Commission continues its active engagement with the ECA ............................................. 21

E. Communication and dialogues in 2025-2026 ......................................................................... 23

The interactive RRF project map has been updated regularly to ensure a visual overview

of projects supported by the RRF .............................................................................................................. 23

The Commission has continued to actively engage with the European Parliament, the

Council and other stakeholders .................................................................................................................. 23

2

2. Preliminary achievements of the Recovery and Resilience Facility ......................................... 25

A. Absorption of RRF funds ......................................................................................................................... 25

B. On the impact of the RRF so far ....................................................................................................... 27

The RRF is estimated to have significant macroeconomic effects, including thanks to

indirect spillover impacts ............................................................................................................................... 28

RRF investments in the digital sector are expected to generate significant economic

returns ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Early evidence on the impact of RRF reforms shows encouraging results .......................... 30

The RRF contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the EU ................................. 32

The Commission continues to analyse the impact of the RRF ................................................... 34

C. Common indicators ..................................................................................................................................... 34

Member States report measurable results linked to RRF investments and reforms ...... 34

D. Bi-annual reporting – April 2026 ..................................................................................................... 38

RRP implementation progressed over the reporting period ......................................................... 38

E. Support across the six policy pillars.............................................................................................. 39

The RRF has provided support across all six policy areas, with a pick-up in delivery speed

.................................................................................................................................................................................... 39

F. The RRF delivers on REPowerEU objectives .............................................................................. 52

REPowerEU chapters continue to deliver results ............................................................................... 52

The implementation of REPowerEU measures has advanced well .......................................... 55

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................ 56

3

Acronyms

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease

ECA European Court of Auditors

EUR Euro (€)

RRPs Recovery and Resilience Plans

RRF Recovery and Resilience Facility

EPPO European Public Prosecutor’s Office

OLAF European Anti-Fraud Office

PFIU Protection of the European Union’s financial interests

R&D Research and development

SMEs Small and medium-sized enterprises

4

Executive summary

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is the temporary crisis and recovery

instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU. It supports Member States in collectively

recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and in strengthening the resilience and

competitiveness of their economies and societies. The RRF is a novel instrument providing

Member States with financial support to implement a combination of pre-agreed reforms

and investments, outlined in their recovery and resilience plans (RRPs).

The RRF reached the end of its implementation on the ground on 31 August 2026,

and the Commission is currently assessing Member States’ final payment requests.

Since the beginning of the RRF, the Commission has disbursed EUR 450 billion (79% of the

RRF envelope) in grants and loans to Member States. As of the end of September 2026, all

Member States have submitted their final payment requests. The Commission is currently

assessing 32 payment requests, amounting to EUR 123 billion.

During its final year of implementation, all efforts have been geared towards a

successful conclusion of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. While 31 December

2026 is the deadline for the Commission to make payments, two key deadlines in the

implementation of the RRF have passed: 31 August 2026, which was the deadline for

Member States to complete all milestones and targets, and 30 September 2026, which was

the deadline for submitting payment requests.

The Commission and Member States have prepared thoroughly for the Facility’s

conclusion. Over the last year, Member States have simplified and streamlined their RRPs

to support the timely delivery of the remaining milestones and targets. The revised RRPs

continue to comply with all the assessment criteria laid down in the RRF Regulation. The

Commission has continued to support Member States in this endeavour and has prepared

for the closure of the instrument by issuing relevant guidance.

RRF-supported reforms and investments are generating tangible results on the

ground, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. First estimates of the

return on RRF investments show, for example, that every EUR 1.00 invested in RRF-supported

digital measures is expected to generate EUR 1.50 in economic output within the EU. In

addition, investments financed under the RRF are estimated to result in annual greenhouse

gas (GHG) emission savings corresponding to approximately 1.5% of EU emissions in 2021,

with RRF-supported reforms estimated to deliver additional savings worth around 1.4% of

EU GHG emissions annually. Furthermore, while the impact of the reforms is taking time to

materialise, a growing body of evidence points to concrete positive results.

Thorough controls and audits remain central to the implementation of the RRF,

ensuring the legality and regularity of payments and the protection of the

European Union’s financial interests. In addition to the work carried out by Member

5

States,the Commission continues to conduct thorough ex ante controls prior to disbursing

funds to Member States as well as risk-based ex post audits of milestones and targets.

Compliance with public procurement and State aid rules continues to be verified, where

relevant, in all types of audits. The Commission continuously monitors Member States’

implementation of audit recommendations it has issued and, to date, has assessed 94% of

the issued the audit recommendations as having been implemented. The Commission has

continued its close cooperation with the European Court of Auditors (ECA), OLAF (European

Anti-Fraud Office), and the EPPO (European Public Prosecutor’s Office). The findings and

recommendations from the ECA and the European Parliament have helped the Commission

has further strengthen the RRF’s audit and control framework.

The Commission has continued to engage with the European Parliament, the

Member States and other stakeholders in the context of implementing the RRF.

Between September 2025 and August 2026, the Commission held eight formal exchanges

with the European Parliament, in the form of Recovery and Resilience Dialogues and

meetings of the RRF Working Group. Beyond the continued dialogues with national

authorities, the Commission convened a meeting of the informal expert group with Member

States to discuss the closure of the RRF. Moreover, the Commission also held a second

implementation dialogue on the RRF with stakeholders in Brussels (October 2025) and

organised the Research Conference on the Impact of the RRF (January 2026) to stimulate

research on the effects of the instrument.

Increasing evidence points to the RRF’s positive impact. The Facility has strengthened

the focus on reforms and results, linking payments to achievements, encouraged more

integrated investment planning and demonstrated the added value of coordinated action at

EU level. The RRF is estimated to have significant macroeconomic effects, also thanks to

indirect spillovers impacts. Furthermore, early evidence on the impact of RRF reforms in the

areas of the labour market, sustainable mobility and digitalisation of the public

administration shows encouraging results.

This report is the fifth annual report on the implementation of the RRF, in line with

the requirements of Article 31 of the RRF Regulation1. The first chapter presents the

state of play regarding disbursements and payment requests, revisions of RRPs, final

recipient reporting, audit and control-related developments, and communication activities.

Chapter 2 reports on the preliminary achievements of the RRF so far, focusing in particular

on RRF-related national expenditure, the instrument’s macroeconomic, digital and green

impact, first findings from the assessment of RRF-supported reforms, as well as progress

made on the common indicators, the RRF policy pillars and REPowerEU. The cut-off date for

all data and information included in this report is 31 August 2026, unless otherwise specified.

1 EUR-Lex - 02021R0241-20240301 - EN - EUR-Lex.

6

1. State of play on the implementation of the RRF

During the final year of implementation, efforts have been focused on ensuring

the RRF’s successful completion. While 31 December 2026 marks the deadline for the

Commission to make payments, two key implementation deadlines have also been reached:

Member States were required to complete all milestones and targets by 31 August 2026,

and to submit their final payment requests by 30 September 2026. Delivering on those

commitments within a tight time frame required sustained focus and rigorous planning.

Close and continued cooperation between Member States and Commission services has

remained essential.

A. Implementation, disbursements and funding

With 79% of funds disbursed, implementation has progressed steadily ahead of

the last big wave of payment request assessments

By 1 October 2026, disbursements under the RRF stood at EUR 450 billion (79% of

the envelope). Since the beginning of the RRF in 2021, 27 Member States have submitted

163 payment requests to the Commission, resulting in the disbursement of EUR 450 billion

by 1 October 2026. This total includes EUR 383 billion disbursed upon the submission of

payment requests, EUR 56.6 billion in pre-financing disbursed to 21 Member States by early

2022, and EUR 10.4 billion in REPowerEU pre-financing disbursed to 21 Member States by

early 2024. A detailed overview of the payment requests submitted by Member States and

the corresponding disbursements, following the positive assessment of the milestones and

targets covered by each request, is provided in Table 1 below.

Payments have continued steadily over the last year, with a large amount expected

to be disbursed ahead of the closure of the RRF. Between 1 September 2025 and

1 October 2026, the Commission disbursed EUR 88 billion to 24 Member States, of which

EUR 58 billion was in grants and EUR 30 billion in loans, corresponding to 49 payment

requests and 1 506 milestones and targets. By the payment request submission deadline of

30 September, all Member States had submitted their final payment requests. The

Commission is currently assessing those payment requests and expects to disburse a large

amount of funds ahead of the closure of the RRF.

The funds disbursed reflect concrete achievements on the ground. The

EUR 450 billion disbursed so far reflect the successful implementation of 4 082 milestones

and targets out of the 5 981 milestones and targets included in the plans (68%).

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Table 1: State of play on implementation of RRF payment requests, by 1 October 2026

B

E

B G

C Z

D K

D E

E E

IE

E L

E S

F R

H R

IT

C Y

L V

L T

L U

H U

M T

N L

A T

P L

P T

R O

S I

S K

F I

S E

Pre-financing disbursed to 21 Member States before 31 December 2021 and excluding REPowerEU pre- financing (EUR 56.6 billion)

▲ * ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

21 REPowerEU pre- financing disbursed (EUR 10.4 billion)

● ● ● ● ■ ■

27 operational arrangements signed

163 payment requests submitted to the Commission, including loans where relevant

6x 5x 7x 5x 4x 5x 5x 9x 7x 5x 9x 10x 7x 5x 7x 4x 1x 5x 5x 5x 6x 10x 6x 7x 9x 6x 3x

126 payments disbursed upon satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts (EUR 383 billion)

4x 4x 6x 5x 3x 3x 4x 7x 6x 4x 8x 9x 5x 4x 6x 2x 4x 3x 4x 4x 9x 4x 6x 7x 4x 1x

Note: * Ireland did not request any pre-financing. ▲ No pre-financing available as the Council Implementing Decision had not been adopted by 31 December 2021, which was a prerequisite for pre-financing. ● No REPowerEU pre-financing available as the REPowerEU chapter had not been adopted by 31 December 2023, which was a prerequisite for REPowerEU pre-financing. ■ The Netherlands and Sweden did not request any REPowerEU pre-financing.

Source: European Commission

Implementation progressed at different speeds across Member States

All Member States have progressed substantially in implementing their RRPs,

although at different paces. Denmark stood out as the first Member State to fully

implement its RRP, receiving its final payment in July 2026. By 1 October 2026, one Member

State (DK) had received their full RRF allocation. On the other hand, three Member States

(HU, LU, NL) had received less than 60% of their allocation (see Figure 1). The disbursement

rate for all other Member States was between 60% and 100% of their financial allocation

and, subject to the satisfactory fulfilment of the relevant milestones and targets, they will

receive their final payments by the end of the Facility.

Disbursement rates are roughly similar for grants and loans. Of the total

EUR 450 billion disbursed by 1 October, EUR 279 billion were disbursed as non-repayable

support (grants) (corresponding to 78% of the total grant envelope), versus while

EUR 171 billion as loan support (corresponding to 80% of the total loan envelope). In the

first years of the instrument, grants were disbursed faster than loans, with Member States

prioritising grant disbursements over loan disbursements. The higher disbursement share for

loans now also reflects the reduction in the overall loan envelope over the last year. Between

September 2025 and August 2026, 10 Member States downscaled their loan envelopes,

8

leading to loan decommitments of EUR 77 billion. This has decreased the loan envelope to

EUR 213 billion.

Figure 1: Share of RRPs total allocation disbursed and to be disbursed, by funding type, as of 1 October 2026

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

The Commission issued guidance for the final months and closure of the RRF

To smoothly complete the final stages of RRF implementation, the Commission

provided Member States with Closure Guidelines on all aspects linked to the

closure of the instrument. On 30 April 2026, the Commission adopted guidelines to

inform Member States about the final steps of RRF implementation until the end of 2026

and the procedures and obligations applying beyond 2026. The ‘Guidelines for Member

States on operational aspects related to the final phase and closure of the Recovery and

Resilience Facility’2 (hereinafter, “Closure Guidelines”) recall the regulatory framework and

provide additional information on how the Commission intends to operationalise key aspects

of the Facility’s closure. They also clarify the Member States’ continued obligations as

regards monitoring, controls, audit, and data retention beyond 2026, and indicate the final

dates for RRF-related reporting obligations.

2 Commission Notice C(2026) 2647 final, Guidelines for Member States on operational aspects related to the final phase and closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, available at: https://reforms-investments.ec.europa.eu/document/download/3d001b2d-e81b-47c4- afdf-f5ec7e92a1b5_en?filename=C_2026_2647_1_EN_ACT_part1_v3.pdf.

0

0

20

0

0

0

60

0

0

0

00

Paid grants Paid loans Grants to be disbursed oans to be disbursed

9

Suspensions remain uncommon, with few resulting in reductions

Payment suspensions3 under the RRF have remained limited, as the non-

satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets has been relatively rare. Overall,

34 milestones and targets across 18 payment requests have been suspended since 2021

(see Table 2), representing 0.9% of all milestones and targets assessed by the Commission

by 31 August 2026. Suspensions remain an exception, with only 13 milestones and targets

suspended between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026 (out of 1 407 milestones and

targets assessed in the same period).

Most suspended milestones and targets are eventually fulfilled within the six-

month period during which Member States can take further actions, with only a

limited share resulting in definitive reductions. Out of the 34 suspended milestones

and targets, only 4 remained non-satisfactorily fulfilled at the end of the six-month

suspension period4, showing that Member States generally implement the corrective

measures within this period (see Table 2). Of the EUR 3.1 billion suspended (in procedures

already closed), EUR 266.3 million (8.55%) have been reduced as the related milestones or

targets remained non-satisfactorily fulfilled at the end of the suspension period. In some

cases, whilst a suspension decision was adopted, the suspension was rescinded as the RRP

was revised. At present, EUR 1.55 billion are suspended for Bulgaria, Spain, Malta, and

Romania (see Table 2).

Since the inception of the RRF, only one milestone has been found by the

Commission to have been reversed5. The Commission is currently re-assessing the status

of the reversal following the six-months suspension period, during which Spain could take

corrective measures to ensure that the milestone could once again be considered as

satisfactorily fulfilled.

3 The RRF Regulation provides flexibility to disburse to Member States part of the funds, when a small number of milestones or targets are not yet satisfactorily fulfilled. Pursuant to Article 24(8) of the RRF Regulation, Member States have six additional months to undertake the necessary steps to ensure the satisfactory fulfilment of the suspended milestone(s) or target(s). Following this period, the Commission re-assesses the payment request and either lifts the suspension, if the specific milestone(s) or target(s) is (are) assessed as fulfilled or reduces the Member State’s financial allocation if the milestones or targets remain not satisfactorily fulfilled.

4 For suspensions that are now complete, i.e. the Commission adopted a Commission Implementing Decision following a reassessment of the milestone or target at the end of the six-months suspension period.

5 A reversal occurs when a milestone or target initially assessed as satisfactorily fulfilled, and for which the Member State was paid, is later found to be no longer fulfilled due to actions attributable to the Member State. If the Member State fails to rectify the situation, the Commission must put the EU budget in the same position as if that milestone or target had never been considered as fulfilled. For further information on the reversal framework, see Annex II of the 2023 RRF Annual Report (COM(2023) 545 final), 19 September 2023.

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Table 2: State-of-play of suspension decisions, on 31 August 2026

Member State

Amount suspended

Date of suspension decision

Number of milestones /targets suspended

Final outcome after suspension period

Lithuania EUR 26.2 m 28/04/2023 2 Suspension lifted for EUR 17.5 million

and EUR 8.7 million reduced on 06/05/2024

Romania EUR 53.4 m 21/09/2023 2 Suspension lifted for EUR 42.6 million

and EUR 10.8 million reduced on 18/12/2024

Portugal EUR 810.5 m 22/12/2023 3 Suspension fully lifted on 26/07/2024

Spain EUR 158.1 m 19/07/2024 1 Suspension fully lifted on 31/07/2025

Italy EUR 110.1 m 26/07/2024 1 Suspension rescinded

Belgium EUR 31 m 16/09/2024 1 Suspension rescinded

Cyprus EUR 43.1 m 14/11/2024 1 Suspension fully lifted on 22/07/2025

Czechia EUR 260.3 m 18/12/2024 2 Suspension lifted for EUR 211.5 million

and EUR 48.8 million reduced on 21/11/2025

Romania EUR 869.8 m 28/05/2025 6 Suspension rescinded for two milestones and suspension under reassessment for the other four.

Spain

EUR 626.6 m (reversal)

07/07/2025 1 Suspension under reassessment

EUR 500.3 m 31/07/2025 2 Suspension lifted for EUR 302.3 million

and EUR 197.97 million reduced on 03/08/2026

Bulgaria EUR 214.5 m 03/11/2025 1 Suspension rescinded

Bulgaria EUR 152.9 m 22/11/2025 2 Suspension rescinded for one milestone and suspension fully lifted on 03/08/2026 for the other

Lithuania EUR 58.6 m 05/01/2026 1 Suspension fully lifted on 10/03/2026

Cyprus EUR 45.9 m 02/03/2026 1 Suspension rescinded

Slovakia EUR 5.98 m 24/04/2026 1 Suspension fully lifted on 24/07/2026

Malta EUR 38.2 m 12/05/2026 1 Suspension period ongoing

Bulgaria EUR 118.4 m 24/07/2026 3 Suspension rescinded for one milestone and suspension period is ongoing for two remaining milestones

Spain EUR 537.1 m 03/08/2026 3 Suspension rescinded

Source: European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility webpage, available at: https://commission.europa.eu/business- economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/country-pages_en

11

The Commission continued to secure financing for the RRF through its unified

funding strategy

Throughout 2026, the Commission continued to finance the RRF under its unified

funding approach, raising resources through EU-Bonds and EU-Bills. For 2026, the

Commission communicated through its semi-annual funding plans a total planned EU-Bond

issuance volume of EUR 180 billion. This constituted the largest annual issuance plan to

date, reflecting the significant financing needs associated with the final phase of

NextGenerationEU implementation, in addition to the financing needed for existing

programmes of assistance to third countries and new EU programmes such as the Security

Action for Europe (SAFE) and the Ukraine Support Loan. By 31 August 2026, the total amount

of outstanding EU-Bonds stood at EUR 792.1 billion. EU-Bond issuances were supplemented

by the issuance of 3-month, 6-month and 12-month EU bills. By 31 August 2026, the volume

of outstanding EU bills reached EUR 44.8 billion.

The proceeds raised through EU-Bond and EU-Bill issuances enabled the smooth financing

of Member States' RRPs, with around EUR 419 billion of borrowing proceeds disbursed by

31 August 2026.

NextGenerationEU Green Bonds continue to finance climate-related RRF

investments

NextGenerationEU Green Bonds continued to finance the implementation of green

RRF measures. By 1 August 2026, the Commission had issued EUR 84 billion of

NextGenerationEU Green Bonds based on the relevant expenditure reported by Member

States (EUR 97 billion). Reported expenditure continues to be concentrated in measures

supporting energy efficiency, clean transport and infrastructure, and clean energy and

networks. This broadly reflects the composition of the NextGenerationEU Green Bond Pool

(i.e. all RRF measures considered eligible for support under the NGEU Green Bond

framework), where clean transport and infrastructure, energy efficiency, and clean energy

and networks are the three largest categories of financed measures.

The Commission published the third NextGenerationEU Green Bonds Allocation and

Impact Report in December 20256. In line with the reporting requirements for

NextGenerationEU Green Bonds, the report provides an assessment of the climate benefits

brought by the NGEU Green Bond financed measures. By the report’s cut-off date7, based on

the milestones and targets assessed as fulfilled by the Commission, implemented measures

funded by NextGenerationEU Green Bonds were estimated to have avoided around 14 million

tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year, compared to around . million tonnes in the previous

6 European Commission, 2025 Green Bond report https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/eu-borrower-investor- relations/analyses-and-reports_en#ngeu-green-bonds-reports

7 1 August 2025.

12

reporting exercise8. Full implementation of the quantifiable measures included in the Green

Bond Pool is estimated to avoid approximately 53.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per

year, corresponding to around 1.5% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.

Member States’ timely reporting on their green achievements remains critical as

the implementation of the RRF enters the final phase. The scale and pace of issuance

of NGEU Green Bonds depends on the scale and pace at which Member States report green

expenditures. Reporting will continue beyond 2026 to inform future Green Bonds issuances

also during the refinancing phase of NextGenerationEU.

B. Simplification and revision of RRPs

Throughout their implementation, RRPs were amended regularly, reflecting the

need to adapt RRF measures to evolving economic, financial and geopolitical

circumstances. By the end of August 2026, there had been 0 revisions of Member States’

RRPs (see Table 3). Substantial revisions were introduced where broader changes to the

structure or ambition of plans were required, notably following the update of the maximum

financial contribution in 2022, requests for loan support, or the integration of REPowerEU

chapters. From the second half of 2023 onwards, targeted revisions were used to address

specific implementation challenges, including to adjust or replace individual measures and

milestones and targets whose delivery was affected by objective circumstances. Such

targeted revisions continued until the end of the implementation period and were

complemented at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 by RRP revisions to simplify

the milestones and targets.

Table 3: Number of modified RRPs adopted by the Council by 31 August 2026

B E

B G

C Z

D K

D E

E E

IE

E L

E S

F R

H R

IT

C Y

L V

L T

L U

H U

M T

N L

A T

P L

P T

R O

S I

S K

F I

S E

9 5 5 4 6 4 7 6 9 3 4 8 6 5 5 5 3 4 5 3 5 7 3 6 4 6 3

Source: European Commission

Member States simplified their plans to ensure timely and effective

implementation by the deadline

Over the last year, Member States focused on simplifying RRPs to accelerate

implementation and maximise the chances for the remaining measures to be

completed by the 2026 deadline. The Communication NextGenerationEU – The Road to

20269, adopted on 4 June 2025, called on Member States to streamline their RRPs to

maximise their impact in light of implementation delays and the approaching end of the RRF

8 European Commission, 2024.

9 See COM(2025) 310 final/2 (2025) NextGenerationEU – The road to 2026, available at: ad5f00c9-4101-41a0-9d8f-e78f06c0c7ed_en.

13

in 2026. As a result, all Member States simplified their plans, replacing measures that could

no longer be completed by the deadline and focusing on core implementation elements to

reduce the administrative burden (see Figure 2). Member States streamlined the wording

and number of measures, milestones and targets while ensuring, together with the

Commission, that all assessment criteria applicable to RRPs continue to be met. Overall, the

simplification exercise led to a decrease in the total number of milestones and targets by

more than 900 – representing a 25% reduction in the number of milestones and targets left

to be assessed in the final phase of the RRF.

Figure 2: Timeline of Council approval of simplification revisions of RRPs by Member State

Note: The graph reflects the timeline of the Council’s adoption of the simplification revisions. These simplification revisions were in many cases not the last revisions of the RRPs. In July and August 2026, the Council approved 27 further revised CIDs.

Source: European Commission

In addition to the simplification efforts, Member States continued over the last

year to revise relevant measures in response to objective circumstances that had

made it impossible to implement those measures in their original form. Most RRP

revisions during the reporting period consisted in small, targeted revisions, where measures

were adjusted or replaced by more suitable alternatives. As part of the revisions, several

Member States prioritised securing their grant allocation and reduced the size of their loan

envelope, resulting in an overall reduction of EUR 77 billion in loan commitments and a

corresponding adjustment to the measures financed under their plans. During the reporting

period, in addition to the 27 simplification revisions, the Commission positively assessed, and

the Council adopted, 36 targeted revisions covering all the Member States. Hungary

submitted a new RRP in June 2026, based on the objective circumstances that had affected

the implementation of its initial plan. The Council adopted the new plan on 10 July 2026,

with further technical revision adopted in August through written procedure. The

transformative impact of Hungary’s plan stems from a strong combination of reforms and

14

targeted investment designed to address the country’s specific challenges. The reforms

tackle key bottlenecks to lasting and sustainable growth by including commitments tothe

rule of law, and other areas such as energy policy, education and public finances. More

generally, the Hungarian government has formally notified under the conditionality

procedure the European Commission of the reforms it has passed to address the EU's rule

of law concerns related to the protection of the financial interests of the Union.

The revised RRPs continue to comply with all assessment criteria laid down in the

RRF Regulation

All RRPs continue to help Member States in address their specific needs, allocate

the necessary funds to the green and digital transition, and respect to the do-no-

significant-harm principle. The revisions of the plans did not reduce their overall ambition,

particularly regarding measures addressing country-specific recommendations. In assessing

the revisions of the plans submitted by the Member States, the Commission verified that all

the assessment criteria laid down in the RRF Regulation continued to be met. For example,

40% of the funds allocated in the revised RRPs contribute to climate-related measures and

26% to digital-related measures (see Figure 3). These allocations continue to be above the

minimum targets set in the RRF Regulation of 37% and 20%, respectively.

Figure 3: Share of RRPs estimated total allocation supporting climate and digital objectives, as of 31 August 2026

Note: The RRPs had to specify and justify to what extent each measure contributes fully (100%) to, partly (40%) to or has no impact (0%) on the climate and/or digital objectives. The contributions to climate and digital objectives have been calculated using Annexes VI and VII of the RRF Regulation, respectively. Combining the coefficients with the cost estimates of each measure allows calculating to what degree the plans contribute to the climate and digital targets.

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

Climate igital Target Climate Target igital

15

C. Final recipients under the RRF

Public entities remain the main final recipients of RRF funds

In line with Article 25a of the RRF Regulation, ‘final recipients’ of RRF support are

the last entities that receive funds for an RRF measure, excluding contractors and

subcontractors. This definition is key to understanding the lists of the 100 largest final

recipients published by each Member State10. It reflects the fact that, for many measures

serving the public interest (for instance projects related to public transport, energy networks,

digital and social infrastructure), public authorities are the entities receiving RRF funds and

responsible for implementing the measure, even if they decide to rely on private contractors

for all or part of the execution. Depending on the type of measures supported by each RRP,

the extent of public and private sector representation in the lists varies between Member

States (see Figure 4).

Public entities continue to account for the majority of the 100 largest final

recipients of RRF funding, although their relative share has decreased. Public-sector

recipients represented 63% of the largest final recipients in April 2026, down from 70% in

the 2024–2025 reporting cycle. They account for around 82% of the funds received by the

100 largest final recipients. Public sector entities identified as final recipients include

national ministries, regional governments, municipalities and local authorities, transport

infrastructure managers, health authorities and public hospitals, universities, public research

institutes and various government agencies. They are most prominent in measures

concerning transport infrastructure, digital government, healthcare, education,

environmental protection, justice and public administration. This is to be expected, as RRF

funding supports large-scale infrastructure projects and public goods, which typically involve

substantial financial investments.

10 Accessible on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

16

Figure 4: Distribution of the final recipients in Member States lists of the 100 largest final recipients per category

Source: European Commission

Private-sector final recipients have become more prominent, with small and

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continuing to account for the largest share.

According to the latest reporting in 2026, around 33% of the 100 largest final recipients

were private entities, accounting for around 18% of the funds received by the entities in the

list. SMEs account for 49% of the private sector entities in the list, with large companies and

start-ups /scale-ups accounting for 43% and 8%, respectively. SMEs tend to be more

prominent recipients of innovation-oriented RRF investments and clean technology projects,

especially in the Nordic and Baltic Member States. Start-up and scale-up companies

predominantly come from the digital, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and health

technology sectors and have the strongest representation in Ireland, Lithuania and Sweden.

In some Member States (Denmark, Estonia, Luxembourg, Malta and Sweden), the majority

of the 100 largest final recipients are private entities. In Sweden, nearly three quarters of

the 100 largest final recipients are private organisations, including commercial companies,

energy utilities, housing companies, industrial and technological firms. In Estonia, a

significant share of the largest recipients are apartment associations, which benefit from

the RRF for energy efficient apartment renovation measures.

There is significant variation in the amounts received by the largest final recipients

The amounts received by the largest final recipients vary significantly across

Member States, reflecting differences in the scale of RRF-supported measures and

the size of the plans (see Figure 5). Across all Member States, the average amount

received by the 100 largest final recipients is close to EUR 68 million, while the median

amount is approximately EUR 10 million. The 10 largest final recipients across all Member

17

States are large public transport and energy sector companies from Greece, Spain, France,

Italy and Poland.

Figure 5: Sum of funds received by the 10 largest and 100 largest final recipients, as a share of the Member States' total allocation

Source: European Commission

The Commission and Member States work together to ensure the quality,

timeliness and accessibility of final recipient data

The Commission continued to engage with Member States to ensure reliable and

consistent lists of the 100 largest final recipients. All Member States comply with

their legal obligation to report twice per year on their 100 largest final recipients, although

not all reporting has been in line with the calendar suggested by the Commission, i.e. in April

and October. The Commission’s departments have followed up where updates were not

provided within the suggested timeframe, or where data issues were spotted. After a few

rounds of reporting, the publication of the lists has become more regular and their content

more reliable.

All Member States’ data on the largest final recipients are centralised and

easily accessible. In line with the RRF Regulation, the Commission centralises and publishes

the lists on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard11, including the descriptions of the

measures linked to the recipients. The Scoreboard also provides links to the national

websites, where the lists are published by the Member States, in some cases, for instance in

Portugal or Romania, with additional information. The data on final recipients continues to

feed into the map of projects supported by the RRF, which is published on the Commission

website12.

11 See Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard.

12 See https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility_en#map.

Fu n d s d is b u rs e d t o n a l re ci p ie n ts a s o f to ta l a llo ca ti o n

um of funds to largest nal recipients as of total allocation um of funds to largest nal recipients as of total allocation

18

Member States are expected to continue updating their national portals until April

2028. As indicated in the Closure Guidelines issued by the Commission in April 202613,

Member States are requested to publish and share their updated data with the Commission

twice in 2027, with a final update of final recipient data due in April 2028. This stems from

the expectation that final recipients will continue to receive some funds under the RRF also

after December 2026. National portals are to be maintained at least until

31 December 2028, with personal data being removed two years after the end of the

financial year in which the relevant final recipients received support.

D. Controls and audits in the implementation of the RRF

The Commission’s RRF control framework is composed of two layers: controls to

provide assurance on the legality and regularity of the disbursements to Member

States and controls to ensure the adequate protection of the financial interests

of the EU. The Commission conducts thorough ex ante controls on the legality and regularity

of transactions before disbursing funds to Member States. Those controls verify

comprehensively that all milestones and targets included in the payment request have been

satisfactorily fulfilled. Following the disbursement, the Commission carries out risk-based ex

post audits on milestones and targets to obtain additional assurance on their satisfactory

fulfilment.

To ensure the adequate protection of the financial interests of the European Union,

the Commission continues to assess the Member States’ control systems at the

time of the RRP revisions, to ensure their robustness and fitness for purpose.

Specific audit and control milestones have been introduced in the revised RRPs in case of

significant deficiencies are detected in the control systems. Such milestones must be fulfilled

before any future payment is made. The Commission also conducts risk-based system audits

to check the procedures in place in Member States for preventing, detecting and correcting

fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest, as well as to avoid double-funding. Furthermore,

compliance audits verify the reliability of the audit work performed by national audit

authorities, providing additional assurance in line with the single audit approach. In all types

of audits, the Commission checks that Member States verify compliance with public

procurement and State aid rules, including the effectiveness of such checks. Finally, the

Commission continuously monitors the implementation of the issued audit

recommendations.

The Closure Guidelines14 detail the applicable audit and control procedures and

obligations beyond 2026. Among other things, those guidelines clarify the Member States’

13 See Commission Notice C/2026/2614: Guidelines for Member States on operational aspects related to the final phase and closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

14 Commission Notice C/2026/2614: Guidelines for Member States on operational aspects related to the final phase and closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

19

and the Commission’s continued obligations beyond 2026. Those obligations concern audit

and control activities, relating both to the fulfilment of milestones and targets and to the

protection of the financial interests of the European Union.

Ex-post controls on the legality and regularity of payments and the protection of

the European Union's financial interests remain at the core of the RRF

The Commission’s 25 ex post audits during the reporting period covered 100

milestones and targets in 30 payment requests. They confirmed on the basis of the

results currently available, the satisfactory fulfilment of those milestones and targets.

Between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026, the Commission carried out 25 ex post

audits on milestones and targets included in 30 payment requests15.The selection of

milestones and targets for audit is informed by a robust risk assessment based on multiple

factors16. As a result, the Commission audited a total of 100 out of 1040 milestones and

targets included in the related payment requests. On the basis of its audit work, including

following the completion of audit fieldwork, the Commission found no evidence that these

audited milestones and targets had not been satisfactorily fulfilled. Additionally, any

discrepancies identified between the declared data and the audited data were within the 5%

margin, which is the same threshold considered by the Commission in its ex ante assessment.

Should the Commission consider during an ex post audit that a milestone or a target has not

been satisfactorily fulfilled, it initiates financial corrections to recover the undue part of the

payment made. However, it was not the case for any of the payments done during the

reporting period (1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026).

On compliance with public procurement and State aid rules, the Commission has

continued to implement enhanced checks in all types of audit work. Since the rollout

of the enhanced toolbox in April 2023, all Member States have been audited at least once in

this regard, either under system audits, compliance audits or ex post audits, as applicable.

Following the publication in March 2025 of the ECA Special report 09/2025 on systems for

ensuring compliance of RRF spending with public procurement and State aid, the Commission

implemented all the accepted or partially accepted recommendations, showcasing its clear

commitment to strengthening the audit approach.

The Commission has continued to perform targeted system audits on the

protection of the financial interests of the European Union (PFIU). Following the

2025 PFIU risk assessment, the Commission carried out four targeted system audits, in

Finland, France, Ireland and Poland, focusing on checks related to public procurement and

State aid. In early 2026, the Commission also conducted a system audit in Spain on double

15 These audits concern payment requests submitted by Austria (submitted in September 2024, August 2025 and March 2026), Belgium (July 2024 and March 2025), Bulgaria, Croatia (December 2024 and July 2025), Cyprus (July 2024 and December 2024), Czechia (submitted in June 2025 and November 2025), Finland, France, Germany, Greece (December 2024 and July 2025), Ireland (December 2024 and August 2025), Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland (December 2024 and December 2025), Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.

16 The risk assessment is based on a number of criteria, such as the type and number of implementing authorities, the type and number of final recipients, the tagging applied and the complexity of the verification mechanism.

20

funding. Sweden had initially also been selected; however, after the Commission assessment

that the remedial actions had been satisfactorily implemented, the system audit was

ultimately considered unnecessary. The 2026 risk assessment (prepared in early 2026)

resulted in additional PFIU audit work being carried out on high-risk topics in four selected

Member States rated as high risk. As the RRF enters its final implementation phase, an

increasing share of audit work focuses on verifying the legality and regularity of payments.

It was therefore decided to integrate those PFIU checks into ex post audits on milestones

and targets, to ensure an efficient use of resources. By 31 August 2026, one such audit had

been performed in one Member State.

Several good practices have been observed among some audited bodies. As

acknowledged by the ECA in its Special Report 06/2026 on tackling fraud in the RRF, the

Commission’s audits are effective tools, leading to improvements in the Member States’

anti-fraud systems. As a result of those audits, Member States have introduced procedures

to detect potential fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, and double funding — often

supported by data mining tools such as ARACHNE17. Other positive examples include staff

training programmes designed to raise awareness of fraud and corruption risks, as well as

the use of the fraud risk assessment templates.

The Commission has continued to perform compliance audits to assess the

reliability of the work performed by national audit bodies. Two compliance audits

were carried out between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026: one stand-alone

compliance audit in Sweden and one compliance audit component embedded into a

milestones and targets audit in Czechia. Since the start of the Facility, 23 Member States

have undergone a compliance audit or been subject to an audit that included a compliance

dimension. These audits have helped strengthen the effectiveness of the audit body’s work

and its detection capacity. In line with the spirit of the single audit approach, the Commission

clarified in January 2025 the prerequisites and conditions under which it can rely on the work

of national audit bodies when carrying out ex post audits. As a result, the audit results from

13 Member States with an unqualified audit opinion or a qualified opinion with limited impact

can be relied upon when selecting milestones and targets to be audited.

Following up on audit recommendations remains a key priority. The Commission has

rigorously monitored the implementation of audit recommendations through a well-defined

methodology. Since the start of the Facility until the end of August 2026, the Commission

issued more than 2 700 audit recommendations across all 27 Member States. Of those,

2 558 recommendations – or 94% - have been closed or preliminarily assessed as closed.

Special attention has been given to audit reports with the highest number of open critical

and very important recommendations. Continued and close cooperation with the Member

States has enabled the Commission to achieve this result, which demonstrates the tangible

improvements made in the Member States’ internal control systems, in particular with regard

17 ARACHNE is an IT tool for data mining and data enrichment developed by the European Commission. ARACHNE helps to identify projects that draw on several EU funds where a potential risk of double funding exists.

21

to audit recommendations related to PFIU. The final phase and closure of the RRF will not

mark the end of the follow-up of audit recommendations. The Commission will maintain

rigorous oversight, as its audit work on the RRF will continue beyond 2026.

The fight against fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest remains a top priority

for the Commission. In line with Article 22 of RRF Regulation, it is primarily the Member

States’ responsibility to prevent, detect and correct serious irregularities, including fraud,

corruption and conflicts of interest. However, the Commission verifies that Member States

fulfil their obligations under the RRF Regulation. In addition, the Commission has the right to

proportionately reduce the support provided under the RRF and recover any amount due to

the EU budget in cases of fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interests affecting the financial

interests of the Union that have not been corrected by the Member State, or a serious breach

of an obligation resulting from the financing and loan agreements.

The Commission cooperates closely with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to

support effective RRF anti-fraud governance at EU level. As of 31 August 2026, the

Commission had notified OLAF of 43 cases of potential irregularities linked to RRF-supported

actions identified either during ex post audits or through open sources. OLAF informed the

Commission of 67 additional cases, bringing the total number of potential irregularities to

106. As a result of its investigations, OLAF had issued a total of 22 recommendations as of

31 August 2026, comprising 18 financial recommendations and 4 administrative

recommendations concerning 10 Member States in total.

Following earlier OLAF recommendations, a recovery procedure was initiated in May

2026. Two other cases were closed on the basis of the information and evidence provided

by the Member States concerned.

The close cooperation between the Commission and the European Public

Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is also key to protecting the financial interests of the

EU. Since the start of the implementation of the RRF and up to 31 August 2026, the EPPO

had informed the Commission that it had opened 170 investigations, of which 125 were

active cases involving Court proceedings or ongoing investigations. In particular, 63% of the

investigations relate to one measure in a single Member State. These figures reflect the

functioning of reporting channels between national authorities, the Commission and the

EPPO in detecting conflicts of interest, fraud and corruption.

The Commission continues its active engagement with the ECA

In addition to the audits carried out by the Commission itself, the implementation

of the RRF is scrutinised by the ECA through audits of each individual grant

payment as well as numerous performance audits. The ECA has so far audited all RRF

grant payments made to Member States. During the past year, the ECA also published four

22

new special reports on the RRF that are linked to performance audits18. In total, as of

31 August 2026, the ECA had published 14 special reports and two reviews dedicated to, or

with a key focus on, the RRF. Five additional ECA performance audits focusing on the RRF

are expected in the coming year19.

The Commission follows up swiftly on the ECA’s recommendations. Since the

publication of last year’s RRF annual report in October 202 , the Commission has received

20 RRF-related recommendations in ECA annual or special reports20. After careful review, the

Commission decided that it could not accept three of those recommendations. Of the 17

accepted or partially accepted ones, the Commission considers that seven recommendations

have already been implemented, while six are for future instruments. The remaining four

recommendations are currently being implemented, in line with the expected timeframe for

implementation. Only two additional RRF-related recommendations, received from previous

ECA reports, remain under implementation21.

Benefiting from the findings and recommendations from, for example the ECA and

Parliament22, the Commission has adopted a dynamic approach to audit and control

and has revised and further strengthened its audit and control framework for the

RRF. In September 2025, the Commission updated the Guidance on the assessment of the

internal control systems put in place by the Member States under the RRF, as well as the

Guidance to Member States for the preparation of the summary of audits under the RRF. The

key control points related to the main risks in the areas of public procurement and State aid

were clarified and expanded, following recommendations stemming from the ECA Special

Report 09/2025 on public procurement and State aid. In May 2026, the Commission further

amended those two guidance documents, by complementing them with best practices in

relation to the recovery of amounts affected by fraud and to reporting of fraud and

suspected fraudulent cases. This was done to address the recommendations issued by the

ECA in its Special Report 06/2026 on tackling fraud in the RRF. In April 2026, to follow up on

additional recommendations from the ECA Special Report 06/2026, the Commission also

18 Special Report No 21 2025: RRF support for an improved business environment, Special Report No 06 2026: Tackling fraud in the RRF: Work in Progress, Special Report No 14 2026: RRF traceability and transparency: Gaps remain regarding the traceability and transparency of RRF funds, and Special Report No 20 2026: Improving the energy efficiency of private homes with the RRF – Broad financial support, but weaknesses in the foundations.

19 Special Report on RRF REPowerEU, Special Report on RRF Public administration, Special Report on NGEU green bonds, Special Report on RRF measures in sustainable mobility, and Special Report on RRF revision of recovery and resilience plans (see the ECA’s indicative timetable of publication of reports from July 2026 to June 2027).

20 Two recommendations from the ECA Annual Report 2024; One recommendation from the ECA Special Report No 21 2025 RRF support for an improved business environment; eight recommendations from the ECA Special Report No 06 2026 Tackling Fraud in the RRF: Work in progress; three recommendations from the ECA Special Report No 14 2026: (RRF traceability and transparency: Gaps remain regarding the traceability and transparency of RRF funds; and six recommendations from the ECA Special Report No 20 2026: on Improving energy efficiency of private homes with the RRF.

21 This concerns recommendation 5(b) from ECA Special Report No 22 2024 on Double funding from the EU budget and recommendation 4 from ECA Special Report No 10 2025 on labour market reforms (related to the RRF ex post evaluation).

22 These include audits from the Commission’s Internal Audit Service, the European Court of Auditors, as well as recommendations from the European Council, and the European Parliament.

23

clarified the Member States’ continued obligations beyond 2026 and provided final dates for

RRF-related reporting obligations23.

E. Communication and dialogues in 2025-2026

The interactive RRF project map has been updated regularly to ensure a visual

overview of projects supported by the RRF

The interactive RRF project map24, launched in March 2023, showcases selected RRF-

supported reforms and investments across Member States. Regularly updated by the

Commission, it indicates each project’s location, status, and links to further resources,

including national RRF websites and, where available, project-specific pages. To date, more

than 4 550 projects across all Member States are featured. Around 1 500 additional projects

have been added during the reporting period.

The Commission has continued to actively engage with the European Parliament,

the Council and other stakeholders

The Commission has continued the good practice of frequent and constructive

engagement with the European Parliament and Member States, strengthening

collaboration and transparency. Regular exchanges with the European Parliament take

place through the Recovery and Resilience Dialogues and meetings with the RRF Working

Group of the joint ECON-BUDG Committees. During the reporting period, four Recovery and

Resilience Dialogues took place with the Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms

and with the Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Simplification and

Implementation. In those dialogues, the Commission reports on progress and developments

in implementing of the RRF and engages in active discussions with Members of Parliament.

In addition, the Parliament’s RRF Working Group met four times with Commission

representatives. They discussed topics such as the economic impact of the RRF, transparency

and costs, and funding for defence. Since the beginning of the Facility, the Commission and

the European Parliament held 23 Recovery and Resilience Dialogues and 42 RRF Working

Group meetings, ensuring continued cooperation between the two institutions. The

Commission also continued to maintain its informal expert group with Member States on the

implementation of the RRF, which convened in March 2026 to discuss the Closure Guidelines.

The European Parliament and the Council take part s observers in the meetings of the RRF

informal expert group.

During the second RRF Implementation Dialogue, held on 31 October 2025,

Commissioner Dombrovskis engaged with stakeholders who accessed RRF funds.

The Commission gathered representatives of local and regional authorities, the business

23 Commission Notice C/2026/2614: Guidelines for Member States on operational aspects related to the final phase and closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

24 Available at https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility_en#map

24

sector and associations working in the social sector, social partners, and RRF contractors.

Stakeholders highlighted that the RRF has (i) increased administrative efficiency, (ii)

strengthened cooperation between public authorities and beneficiaries, and (iii) contributed

to better tendering procedures at national level and transparent communication. As for the

challenges, stakeholders pointed to (i) tight implementation timelines, (ii) a lack of flexibility

and delays in authorisations and payments at national level, and (iii) their limited

involvement in the design of RRPs – an important lesson for future instruments. The

summary conclusions are available online25, and the insights from stakeholders will also

inform the ongoing preparation of the ex post evaluation of the RRF, due in 2028.

Finally, the Commission has stepped up efforts to foster exchanges with the

research and academic community. In January 2026, the Commission organised the

Research Conference ‘Understanding the Impact of the RRF26’, which gathered more than

700 participants and 25 speakers from the research community, institutions and other

stakeholders. The conference enabled both technical and political exchanges of views on the

impact of the RRF so far.

Member States continue to hold RRF events

RRF events on the ground bring together national authorities’ and Commission

representatives, stakeholders (including social partners and civil society representatives) and

recipients of RRF support to discuss the progress in implementing the various projects

proposed by Member States in their national RRPs. These events take place in the context of

regular RRPs monitoring missions in the Member States, often in combination with project

visits and exhibitions. Annual events have taken place throughout the year, notably in Italy,

Croatia, Czechia and Germany.

25 See https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/ecfin-events/implementation-dialogue-experience-stakeholders-applying-and-accessing-rrf- funds_en.

26See https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/events/research-conference-understanding-impact-recovery-and-resilience-facility-2026-01- 29_en

25

2.Preliminary achievements of the Recovery and

Resilience Facility

A. Absorption of RRF funds

Most RRF grants disbursed to Member States by the end of 2025 have reached the

real economy27. By the end of 2025, national expenditure on implementing RRF measures

financed by grants had reached more than 95% of the EUR 237.5 billion in grant support

disbursed28. This shows that almost all of the RRF grant support disbursed has reached the

Member States’ economies. This contrasts with the initial phase of RRF implementation,

when RRF grant disbursements to Member States largely outpaced RRF-related expenditure

recorded at national level. In terms of the overall RRF grant envelope of EUR 360 billion,

national expenditure incurred by Member States to implement grant-financed measures

reached 6 by the end of 202 , implying that Member States had ‘absorbed’ 6 of the

total RRF grant envelope (at a time when 66% of the grant envelope had been disbursed).

The increase in grant absorption reflects the significant progress made in

implementing investment projects in 2025. The fact that expenditure related to

measures supported by RRF grants has gradually converged with grant disbursements (see

Figure 6) is in line with the nature of the RRF. In addition to the payment of pre-financing,

early payments to Member States were often made upon the implementation of reforms,

which were generally frontloaded and did not entail financial costs for Member States, and

of preparatory steps for investment projects, which do not normally give rise to significant

expenditure. Moreover, investments have taken time to materialise on the ground while they

have been going through their various phases (i.e. design and planning, tendering,

preparation, delivery), with national expenditure often occurring only in later phases. Overall,

the higher RRF-related national expenditure reflects the significant acceleration in the

implementation of investments on the ground in 2025.

27 This report focuses on the absorption of RRF grants, as RRF loans have been requested by a limited number of Member States. By the end of 2025, national expenditure to implement RRF measures financed by loans had reached 53% of the EUR 156 billion in loan support disbursed to Member States at that time. The lower absorption levels of RRF loans are explained by the fact that most RRF loans support measures designed as financial instruments. National expenditure under this type of measures is largely backloaded to the end of 2026 as it takes the form of a financial transfer to the financial institution implementing the financial instrument.

28 This is based on data reported to Eurostat by the national statistical institutes. The data is annual and was published for the first time in February 2025. The May 2026 update added the expenditure incurred by Member States in 2025.

26

Figure 6: RRF grant payments made by the Commission to Member States, and RRF-related national expenditure, (2021-2025).

Source: European Commission

The absorption of RRF funds still varied across Member States, with the plan’s

relative size being a relevant factor. By the end of 2025, RRF-related national

expenditure had surpassed 75% of the national RRF grant allocation in eight Member States,

while it surpassed 50% in 12 Member States. In another seven Member States, absorption

in terms of the overall grant envelope stood between 29% and 49% (see Figure 7).

Differences in absorption rates across Member States reflect a combination of structural

and implementation-related factors. In some cases, the size of the RRF grant allocation

relative to the size of the domestic economy is such that it required a significant build-up in

administrative capacity at various levels of government. In addition, the timing and

composition of measures included in the RRPs influence both disbursements by the

Commission and national expenditure patterns. For example, a bigger share of frontloaded

reforms underpinned early Commission disbursements, while the roll-out of large investment

projects and support schemes led national expenditure being recorded later. Furthermore,

other factors, such as delayed procurement processes, increasing project costs or necessary

adjustments to project designs, affected implementation to varying degrees across Member

States.

0

0

00

0

200

2 0

202 2022 202 202 202

E U R b ill io n

RRF grants payments RRF related e penditure

27

Figure 7: RRF-related national expenditure as % of total RRF grants allocation, and total RRF grants allocation as % of GDP (2020 to 2025)

Note: Based on data reported to Eurostat by the national statistical institutes, published for the first time in February 2025.

Source: European Commission

Most RRF-related national expenditure corresponded to investment spending by

Member States. Close to three quarters of the expenditure incurred by Member States by

the end of 2025 to implement grant-financed measures corresponded to investments, as

defined under national accounts. 45% of this corresponding expenditure was made in the

form of capital transfers (for instance investment grants or subsidies paid to non-

government entities), while gross fixed capital formation (direct investments of the general

government) accounted for 27% of the investments. The remaining 27% of the expenditure

corresponded to current expenditure under national accounts. This can reflect costs incurred

to support the ongoing operation, delivery or implementation of measures under the RRF,

including, for instance, costs associated with training, studies and technical support, as well

as other related operating expenditure.

B. On the impact of the RRF so far

The RRF is expected to have wide-ranging effects across the EU’s economy and

society. With a financial envelope of EUR 573 billion and a design combining investments

and reforms and linking payments to the implementation of milestones and targets, the RRF

can generate significant and lasting benefits for the EU. Some of these effects can already

be seen, while others will become visible only over time. The first and most immediate layer

concerns direct and indirect macroeconomic effects stemming from investments. A second,

more medium- to long-term layer arises from the reforms supported by the RRF, which can

o f P

o f R R F g ra n ts a llo ca ti o n

RRF related national e penditure as of total RRF grants allocation

Total RRF grants allocation as of P

28

foster productivity growth, resilience and institutional capacity. The RRF is also designed to

specifically support the green and digital transitions, giving it a transformational role that

extends beyond macroeconomic impact alone. To gather evidence across these dimensions,

the Commission has been conducting several analytical workstreams, both internal and

externally contracted.

The RRF is estimated to have significant macroeconomic effects, including thanks to indirect spillover impacts

The benefits of the RRF extend well beyond national borders, with the Single

Market substantially amplifying the impact of national investments. Several recent

studies have examined the economic impact of RRF investments in depth, using ex ante

simulations based on estimated costs and assuming full implementation of the RRPs29. In

particular, it is estimated that the total financial impact of RRF investments will amount to

EUR 891.7 billion by 2030 (with EUR 685.1 billion in the EU alone), which would be

substantially more than the RRF envelope of EUR 655 billion30 (based on the January 2025

cut-off date for the study). Almost 40% of this impact results from positive cross-border

spillovers generated by other countries’ plans. These spillovers are particularly large for

highly integrated economies, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg,

Austria and Denmark, where spillovers more than double – and in some cases triple – the

impact of domestic RRF investments.

In the Netherlands, cross-border spillovers account for more than two thirds of

the total economic impact of the RRF31. The economic impact of the RRF on the Dutch

economy is estimated at EUR 13 billion in the medium term, of which more than EUR 8.8

billion stems from investments implemented in other Member States through their national

RRPs. The overall impact is more than double the size of the Dutch RRP, which amounts to

EUR . billion. These large spillovers reflect the Netherlands’ highly integrated economy and

the importance of its high-tech industries within EU value chains. Manufacturing is expected

to benefit the most overall, with wholesale trade also expected to benefit strongly, reflecting

Rotterdam’s role as Europe’s largest seaport and major logistics hub. Domestic support is

primarily responsible for gains in construction, in particular the largest measure in the Dutch

plan – an energy efficiency subsidy. This measure is expected to have the strongest impact

in rural areas and to be most widely taken up in the municipalities with the highest rates of

homeowner energy poverty.

Austria is another Member State that benefits strongly from cross-border

spillovers generated by the RRF32. It is estimated that the RRF will generate EUR 9.2

billion in added value for the Austrian economy by 2030, while the size of the Austrian RRP

29 See Publications - Reforms and Investments - European Commission.

30 Economic Impacts of the Recovery and Resilience Facility: New Insights at Sectoral Level and the Case of Germany - Economy and

Finance.

31 Economic Impact of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in the Netherlands - Economy and Finance.

32 The Recovery and Resilience Facility in Austria – Direct Impact and Spillover Effects - Economy and Finance.

29

amounts to less than EUR 4 billion. More than half of this impact stems from investments

implemented in other Member States, particularly in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland and

Romania. This reflects Austria’s strong integration in the Single Market and its close economic

links with Central and Eastern Europe. Manufacturing is the largest beneficiary of the RRF in

Austria, driven to a very large extent by spillover effects, in particular in the production of

machinery and equipment, electrical equipment and fabricated metal products. Construction

is the second-largest beneficiary and benefits primarily from domestic investments, in

particular the expansion of the railway network.

RRF investments in the digital sector are expected to generate significant economic returns

The economic returns of RRF-supported digital investments are deemed

particularly high, with every euro invested set to generate around EUR 2 in global

economic output, including EUR 1.50 within the EU33. Digital investments financed

under the RRF are estimated to generate EUR 302.3 billion in economic output at global level

by 2030, more than twice the size of the RRF allocation in the digital sector (EUR 148.8

billion based on the November 2025 cut-off date for the study). This multiplier is significantly

higher than the one estimated for the RRF as a whole, reflecting the concentration of digital

investments in high-technology sectors where they can help significantly increase

productivity. The highest returns are associated with investments in digital skills, as well as

digitalising public services, followed by investments in digital infrastructure and digitalisation

of businesses.

Figure 8: Direct and spillover impacts of digital investments relative to RRF envelopes, by country (EUR billion)

Source: Anne Michels & Valeria Ferreira & Paola Annoni & Julien Burton & Luis Pedauga & José Manuel Rueda Cantuche & Maja

Kušen & ábor Kátay, . "Digital Measures under the Recovery and Resilience Facility Economic Impacts at Macro, Sectoral and Country Levels," European Economy - Discussion Papers 249, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.

33 Digital Measures under the Recovery and Resilience Facility: Economic Impacts at Macro, Sectoral and Country Levels - Economy and Finance.

30

RRF digital investments benefit all Member States, generating gains across

borders and far beyond the sectors receiving direct support. The Single Market plays

a key role in amplifying these benefits through substantial cross-border spillovers. The

largest gains are in manufacturing (EUR 68 billion), ICT services (EUR 51 billion) and

professional services (EUR 32 billion). However, sizeable gains are also observed in sectors

that receive no direct RRF funding, including trade, transport, finance and real estate. As a

result, the estimated economic impact exceeds the initial digital allocation in almost all

Member States, with the largest overall impacts in Italy and Spain. In several highly

integrated economies – including Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Ireland,

Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands – the economic impact is estimated to

be more than double, and in some cases more than 10 times, the initial national digital

allocation.

The RRF accelerates the EU’s digital transition and makes it more inclusive. RRF

digital investments, for example, go towards providing digital devices to around 4.8 million

students and teachers, as well as installing digital infrastructure in 121 190 schools and

higher education institutions. This infrastructure includes equipment for IT and STEM

laboratories, audiovisual equipment for hybrid learning, interactive smartboards, 3D printers

and robotic kits. In addition, more than 16.7 million households that previously had no or

only slow access to broadband networks have gained access to very high-capacity networks

through the RRF, corresponding to around 8% of all households within the EU. These

investments particularly benefit households in less densely populated or more remote areas,

where commercial incentives to invest are weaker.

Early evidence on the impact of RRF reforms shows encouraging results

Evaluating reform outcomes is inherently complex, as results are shaped by many

factors and often materialise only after a considerable time lag. In addition, the

reforms supported by the RRF are highly diverse, reflecting the specific needs and

circumstances of each Member State. Any assessment must therefore consider country-

specific features, including the nature of reforms and their stage of implementation. Against

this background, the Commission has contracted external studies to identify early signs of

how reforms supported by the RRF are impacting the areas ‘labour market’, ‘digitalisation of

public administration’ and ‘promotion of sustainable mobility’.

Labour market reforms supported by the RRF are showing encouraging early

results. Selected reforms in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have generated measurable

progress towards their main labour market and social objectives34. Such progress includes

positive effects for specific target groups and institutional improvements that support fairer

and more inclusive labour markets. In Spain, the simplification of contracts, as supported

34 CEPS and Ecorys (2026), ‘The impact of reforms supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility in the area of the labour market’. Available here: Research on the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Economy and Finance.

31

under the RRF, significantly reduced temporary employment and increased open-ended

employment. The combined model-based effects are estimated to have raised aggregate

employment in Spain by around 3% in 2023, with a possible GDP effect of about 2%. In

Greece, preliminary evidence shows that the labour-law reform is associated with a higher

take-up of parental leave without negative effects on employment. Early positive effects of

France’s reform of unemployment insurance include, in particular, faster transitions from

unemployment to employment, while the effect on aggregate employment is not yet

measurable. In Portugal, the reform of platform work appears to have improved social

protection and working conditions, but its employment and macroeconomic effects cannot

yet be measured because of limited post-reform data. Overall, the findings suggest that

RRF-supported labour market reforms are helping strengthen labour market quality,

resilience and inclusion, even if their full economic effects will take longer to materialise.

RRF reforms supporting the digitalisation of public administrations have helped

reduce administrative burden35. Substantial efficiency gains can be achieved when

Member States redesign administrative procedures around digital tools, rather than merely

digitalising existing paper-based workflows. An analysis of five reforms in Cyprus, Germany,

Portugal, Slovenia and Spain found that the reforms have helped streamline procedures,

improve accessibility and improve service quality, although the degree of implementation

and the scale of impact vary across countries. Qualitative evidence provided by national

authorities consistently suggests that reforms have led to a lower administrative burden,

shorter processing times, reduced costs for users and improved digital access. Cyprus offers

one of the clearest examples. As part of the tax collection reform, VAT-related procedures

were digitalised and streamlined, reducing average processing times by a factor of 20 (from

an average of four to five months to an average of one week).

The RRF has helped advance important reforms in the area of research and

innovation (R&I). A study commissioned by the Commission finds that the RRF has played

a key role in enabling, accelerating and shaping national R&I reforms, and contributing to

addressing R&I-related Country-Specific Recommendations in the context of the European

Semester 36. For example, Croatia revised its legal framework for R&D tax incentives to foster

stronger private R&D investment and improve accessibility by simplifying procedures and

reducing administrative burden.

RRF reforms supporting sustainable mobility are estimated to make a significant

contribution to the green transition37. Sustainable mobility reforms can support both

climate mitigation and the mobilisation of private investment. At the same time, their effects

vary substantially depending on the type of reform and the strength of the underlying

35 University of Hasselt (2026), ‘Study on the impact of reforms supported by the recovery and resilience facility in the area of digitalisation of public administration’. Available here: Research on the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Economy and Finance.

36 Study on the R&I measures in the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Publications Office of the EU.

37 Ecorys (2026), ‘Study on the impact of reforms supported by the recovery and resilience facility in the area of sustainable mobility’. Available here: Research on the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Economy and Finance.

32

evidence. For e ample, Belgium’s zero-emission company car reform is estimated to

potentially deliver at least 00 kilotonnes of CO₂ reductions – representing around 8% of

national transport emissions – by 2030. Meanwhile, Austria’s eco-social tax reform has

estimated potential savings ranging from 800 kilotonnes to 1 600 kilotonnes of CO₂ -

representing between 5% and 11% of national transport emissions. Furthermore, there is a

particularly strong leverage effect of private investment associated with reforms supporting

charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. RRF-financed public funding in this area in

Belgium is estimated to mobilise EUR 2.53 of private investment for every EUR 1.00 of public

funding, while the corresponding figure for Spain is EUR 4.00.

The RRF supported ambitious reforms in the area of justice and anti-corruption,

and some already show promising initial results. Many RRPs included important

measures to strengthen judicial efficiency, transparency and the fight against corruption. A

notable e ample is Italy’s comprehensive reform of the justice system, covering the civil,

criminal, insolvency and administrative justice sectors, which was backed by RRF investments

in personnel and digitalisation. The reform has already delivered tangible results: Italy

cleared well over 90% of the old backlog of pending cases (from end 2019) in first and

second instance civil and administrative courts. Other important reforms in this area were

adopted by Member States, although they are not formally (fully) assessed by the

Commission. For example, Bulgaria adopted an ambitious anti-corruption reform, including

setting up a new anti-corruption body and a mechanism for the independent investigation

of the Prosecutor General. Furthermore, the reforms under the RRP introduced legislative

amendments on whistleblower protection, lobbying, and integrity measures for civil servants

and employees of state-owned enterprises. Similarly, the new Hungarian government has

implemented audit and control and rule of law requirements from the original RRP. In

addition, Hungary has implemented further commitments that were not part of the original

plan, including strengthening the Integrity Authority, revising the public procurement law to

curb fraud, applying to join the EPPO and implementing a comprehensive governance and

transparency reform of its National Promotional Bank (MFB). The Commission will assess the

fulfilment of all these requirements, as part of the regular payment request procedure in the

final quarter of 2026.

The RRF contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the EU

RRF-supported measures can make a significant contribution to achieving the EU’s

climate and energy objectives. Supporting the green transition and contributing to the

EU's 2030 GHG emission reduction climate targets is one of the main objectives of the RRF.

Recent Commission analysis38 found that investments financed under the RRF are estimated

to generate around 54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (MtCO₂e) in annual emission savings,

corresponding to approximately 1.5% of EU emissions (using 2021 as the baseline). At the

38 See Caprini and Studtrucker (2026), The Contribution of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the EU, available at: The Contribution of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the EU.

33

same time, RRF-supported reforms are estimated to deliver a further 2 MtCO₂e, or around

1.4% of EU emissions annually39. These results point to substantial mitigation potential, even

under conservative assumptions and partial methodological coverage40. Measures

implemented through financial instruments are not accounted for, and thus the estimated

climate mitigation impact may be particularly understated for those Member States making

greater use of financial instruments.

Estimated emission savings largely stem from investments in energy efficiency

and sustainable mobility, and from renewable energy and clean energy

infrastructure reforms. For investments, this broadly reflects the scale of financial

support provided across policy areas41. The analysis highlights significant differences across

Member States, reflecting variations in the sectoral composition of RRPs, national baseline

conditions and methodological coverage, rather than differences in the climate ambition of

the plans. In particular, investments directly targeting high-emission activities, such as

vehicle electrification, tend to generate higher estimated emission savings than other types

of infrastructure investment.

Figure 9: Estimated greenhouse gas emission savings of RRF-supported investments, per policy area

39 Caprini and Studtrucker (2026) screened more than 3 200 targets across all 27 national RRPs, identifying over 1 400 climate-relevant targets. Building on the methodology developed for the NextGenerationEU Green Bond reporting framework, the analysis is applied to a broader set of climate-relevant RRF targets identified through a systematic screening of all RRPs. Climate-relevant targets with measurable outputs are then translated into estimated annual greenhouse gas emission savings. The analysis assumes the full implementation of measures included in national RRPs at the end of 2024, the cut-off date of the assessment. Estimates are based on the subset of RRF targets containing quantitative information on climate-relevant outputs. As reforms are generally less likely than investments to include measurable output indicators, their estimated mitigation impact is based on a more limited set of measures and therefore does not capture the full potential climate contribution of reforms supported under the RRF.

40 GHG emission estimates differ from the figures reported for NGEU Green Bonds, as the sample of measures analysed covers all climate- relevant RRF measures and goes beyond the sub-set of measures financed through NGEU Green Bonds. In the NGEU Green Bond Allocation and Impact Report, GHG emission savings for reforms and investments are reported together.

41 For reforms, however, the concentration reflects methodological constraints and the more limited availability of quantifiable output

indicators, rather than the underlying distribution of climate ambition across policy areas.

34

Note: The above figure shows estimated greenhouse gas emission savings of RRF investments contributing to climate mitigation.

Source: Caprini and Studtrucker (2026).

The Commission continues to analyse the impact of the RRF

The body of research analysing the impact of the RRF is steadily expanding and

will help inform its ex post evaluation in 2028. As implementing the RRF approached

its end, the Commission has stepped up efforts to assess the effects of the Facility on the

EU’s economy and society, as described above, and has contracted three additional external

studies. This growing evidence base will feed into the ex post evaluation of the RRF. The ex

post evaluation will be published by the end of 2028, in line with the RRF Regulation, and

will be underpinned by an independent external study.

C. Common indicators

Member States report measurable results linked to RRF investments and reforms

The common indicators help measure progress in implementing the RRPs towards

achieving the general and specific objectives of the RRF42. Member States report data

42 Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2021/241. While the purpose of common indicators is to report on the overall performance and progress of the RRF towards its objectives, they do not comprehensively cover all investments included in the RRPs and do not fully capture the contribution of reforms, which is difficult to measure using quantitative indicators. The collection methodology of the common indicators’ underlying data at times makes it impossible to disentangle their specific origin and contribution to RRF objectives, particularly as there is no comparison point (counterfactual in the absence of the RRF). Moreover, Member States can report estimated values, flagging them as such, and they can amend the previously reported values at any point if more updated data becomes available. Furthermore, the common indicators do not include final target values, which limits their use in the context of an evaluation and in determining RRF effectiveness. This point has been echoed by feedback received from Member States.

5 MtC 2e

35

on these 14 indicators twice a year43. The indicators provide evidence of the tangible outputs

generated through implementing of RRF-funded measures on the ground (see Figure 10).

Together with the bi-annual reporting by Member States on the fulfilment of milestones and

targets, they contribute to monitoring and tracking the overall progress of the Facility

towards achieving its objectives.

Figure 10: State of play on the common indicators on 31 December 2025

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

By December 2025, Member States reported annual primary energy savings due to

RRF-supported measures of 71 278 397 MWh (Figure 11). This is equivalent to almost

twice Denmark’s annual electricity consumption or approximately 4.5 times the total annual

energy consumption of the city of Barcelona, according to Eurostat data. It represents a 14%

43 The RRF Regulation requires Member States to report to the Commission on the common indicators and empowers the Commission to specify the common indicators to be used for this reporting. Commission Delegated Regulation 2021/2106 defines the 14 indicators in question. There are two types of indicators. Output indicators measure the specific deliverables of an RRF-supported activity or project (e.g. additional operational capacity installed for renewables). Result indicators capture a change in the situation and their effects on the beneficiaries (e.g. people benefiting from new public digital services, or trainings). Out of the 14 common indicators, 4 are disaggregated by gender. Member States report bi-annually on these common indicators by 28 February (covering the reporting period of July and December of the previous year) and by 31 August (covering the reporting period of January to June of the same year). The Commission publishes the common indicators data on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard, after performing checks to ensure plausibility and comparability of the data. In line with the requirements of the Commission Delegated Regulation, where data are published at the level of each Member State, these are presented in relative terms. However, the Commission has no legal basis to audit or verify the quality of the data submitted by Member States nor to alter or refuse specific reporting by Member States. The ownership of and responsibility for the reported data lies solely with the Member States.

CI 0 Savings in annual

primary energy

consumption

S 2 25: 2 2 M h yr

S2 2 25: 2 M h yr

CI 02 Additional

operational capacity

installed for renewables

S 2 25: 22 2 M S2 2 25: 2 M

2

CI 0 Alternative

fuels infrastructure

(refuelling recharging

points)

S 2 25: S2 2 25: 2

5

CI 0 Population

bene tting from

protection measures

against oods.

S 2 25: S2 2 25: 5 5 2

25

CI 0 Additional

dwellings with internet

access via very high

capacity networks

S 2 25: 5 S2 2 25: 5

CI 06 Enterprises

supported to develop

digital products,

services and apps

S 2 25: S2 2 25: 552 2

CI 0 Enterprises

supported (of which

small including

micro, medium, large)

S 2 25: 5 2 2 S2 2 25: 5

5

CI 0 Number of

participants in

education or training

S 2 25: 55 S2 2 25: 5 5

5

CI Number in

employment or

engaged in job

searching activities

S 2 25: 2 S2 2 25: 2

2

CI 2 Capacity of

new or modernised

health care facilities

S 2 25: 2 2 S2 2 25:

5

CI 0 Users of new

and upgraded public

digital services

S 2 25: 2 S2 2 25: 5

CI Number of

young people aged

2 years receiving

support

S 2 25: S2 2 25: 2

2

CI 0 Researchers

working in supported

research facilities

S 2 25: 2 5 2 S2 2 25: 2

CI Classroom

capacity new or

modernised childcare

education facilities

S 2 25: 25 S2 2 25:

55

36

increase compared with mid-2025, which can largely be attributed to all savings associated

with Italy’s Ecobonus measure being reported in the most recent reporting round.

Figure 11: Reported savings in annual primary energy consumption, cumulative

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

The reported number of researchers supported by the RRF (common indicator 8)

increased by 36% in the second half of 2025, reaching over 300 000 (Figure 12).

The growth in the number of researchers supported was primarily driven by reporting from

Spain and Italy, with significant additional increases reported by Cyprus and Slovakia. It

reflects the progress and finalisation of research-related measures under their respective

RRPs. The progress reported under this indicator is significant when compared with the size

of the national research workforces in the EU. The figure of 319 842 RRF-supported

researchers in the EU corresponds to around 88% of the total number of researchers in

France, or approximately 62% of Germany's research workforce, according to Eurostat data.

0

0

20

0

0

0

60

0

0

M ill io n M W h

37

Figure 12: Reported number of researchers working in research facilities supported by the RRF, cumulative

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

The reported number of RRF-supported places created in new or modernised

childcare and education facilities (common indicator 13) more than doubled in

2025, reaching 6 380 988 places (Figure 13). This means that almost 6.4 million pupils

benefited from new or modernised facilities thanks to RRF support. This capacity is

equivalent to approximately 2 times the overall number of students enrolled in education in

Belgium (which stood at around 2.98 million in 2024, according to Eurostat data). The

increase was largely driven by the finalisation of RRF-supported construction and renovation

projects in childcare facilities in Romania, alongside investments in schools and vocational

education centres in Greece and Spain.

Figure 13: Reported classroom capacity of new or modernised childcare and education facilities, cumulative

0

0

00

0

200

2 0

00

0

Th o u sa n d r e se a rc h e rs

38

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

D. Bi-annual reporting – April 202644

RRP implementation progressed over the reporting period

In April 2026, the Commission had positively assessed most milestones and

targets indicatively due by the first quarter 2026, while Member States reported

the rest as completed30. Overall, fulfilled or completed milestones and targets accounted

for 90% of the milestones and targets indicatively due by the end of the first quarter of

2026. Specifically, by 30 April 2026, out of the 4 929 milestones and targets that were due

by the first quarter of 2026, the Commission assessed 69.5% (3 424) as satisfactorily

fulfilled in the context of a payment request, and an additional 20.5% (1 009) had been

reported as completed by Member States. 419 (8.5%) milestones and targets were reported

as not completed by their indicative target date (see Figure 14a).

44 The data presented in this section is elaborated by Commission services based on the Spring 2026 bi-annual reporting by Member States and on the latest available data shared by Member States in the payment request submission process. In line with Article 27 of the RRF Regulation, Member States must report twice a year in the context of the European Semester on the progress made in the implementation of their RRPs. The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2106 further specifies this obligation, setting the deadlines for the bi-annual reporting at no later than by 30 April and 15 October. Member States report their progress in achieving their milestones and targets due in the past and due twelve months into the future. Whilst the data is self-reported by the Member States and not verified by the Commission, it provides a comprehensive stocktaking on the implementation of all plans and enables the monitoring of progress in implementing the RRPs. Milestones and targets which have already been assessed as satisfactorily fulfilled by the Commission in the conte t of a payment request are classified as ‘fulfilled’. The progress status of each backward-looking milestone and target (i.e. those planned to be achieved up to the quarter before the reporting date) can be classified as either ‘completed’ or ‘not completed’. The status of forward-looking milestones and targets (i.e. those planned to be achieved in the quarter of the reporting date and the three following quarters) milestones and targets can be classified as ‘completed’, ‘on track’, or ‘delayed’.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

M ill

io n o

f pl

a ce

s

39

Looking towards the end of RRP implementation, Member States reported in April

2026 that most milestones and targets with an indicative target date in the second

or third quarter of 2026 were on track. Out of the 1 132 milestones and targets due in

that time period, 1 027 (or 77.1%) were reported as being on track. An additional 11.6%

(154) were reported as already completed, while 9.8% (131) were reported as delayed

(Figure 14b). Moreover, 15 milestones and targets were already assessed as fulfilled by the

Commission.

Figure 14a: Progress of milestones and targets due between Q1 2020 and Q1 2026, as reported by Member States in April 2026

Figure 14b: Progress of milestones and targets due in the future (Q2-Q3 2026), until the end of the Facility, as reported by Member States in April 2026

Source: European Commission

E. Support across the six policy pillars

The RRF has provided support across all six policy areas, with a pick-up in

delivery speed

The RRF has provided support in all areas covered by its six policy pillars. By August

2026, at least 60% of the milestones and targets had been assessed by the Commission as

fulfilled for each pillar (Figure 15). Over the past year, 1 394 milestones and targets were

assessed as fulfilled, compared to 971 in the previous reporting period, showing an

acceleration in the completion of projects across all pillars. Progress across all six areas

remains remarkably balanced, with the implementation rates of the most and least advanced

areas differing by no more than 10 percentage points.

5

2

0

00

00

200

Completed (not assessed)

On track Delayed

N u m b e r o f m il e s to n e s t a rg e ts 2

0

000

2000

000

Ful lled Completed (not assessed)

Not completed

N u m b e r o f m il e s to n e s t a rg e ts

40

Figure 15: Milestones and targets under the six RRF policy pillars and their respective status as of 31 August 2026

Source: European Commission

Green transition

The RRF makes a substantial contribution to the EU’s climate and energy climate

objectives. It supports the EU’s energy transition and the achievement of its climate

objectives through measures that accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, improve

energy efficiency and promote sustainable mobility. The RRF also contributes to climate

adaptation and other environmental objectives, including reducing air pollution, advancing

the circular economy, and protecting and restoring biodiversity. A total of EUR 287 billion in

RRF funds contributes to advancing the green transition45, representing roughly half of

Member States’ total allocation.

45 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the green transition pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

41

Overview: The RRF’s support for the green transition

Figure 16: Contribution to the green transition, per policy area

Note: The figure presents ex-ante estimated costs in EUR billion of measures linked to the green transition pillar. Percentage values indicate the share of a specific policy area within the green transition pillar. Percentage values indicate the share of a specific policy area within the green transition pillar. ”Other“ includes circular economy, climate change adaptation, biodiversity and ecosystems, pollution prevention and control, green skills and jobs, and other climate change mitigation measures.

Source: European Commission

Aligned with the European Green Deal as Europe’s strategy for sustainable growth, the

RRF plays a central role in accelerating the energy transition and making the EU climate-

neutral by 2050, while being intrinsically linked with the Commission’s competitiveness

agenda. It supports a wide range of priorities crucial for the EU’s green transition (Figure

16). The largest three policy areas being supported are as follows:

1. Sustainable mobility - EUR 79 billion

The transport sector produces a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, making its

decarbonisation vital for meeting climate goals and reducing reliance on imported fossil

fuels. The RRF supports Member States by investing in zero- or low-emission vehicles,

clean public transport, recharging and railway infrastructure, alongside taxation and

regulation reforms to support zero emission mobility.

2. Energy efficiency - EUR 75 billion

Buildings are the largest source of energy consumption in the EU, with around 75% of the

stock still having poor energy performance. Improving energy efficiency in buildings,

alongside reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from industrial processes,

is therefore essential for achieving the EU’s climate goals and lowering energy bills for

EUR bn Sustainable Mobility

2

EUR 5 bn Energy E ciency

2

EUR 5 bn Renewable Energy

And etworks 2

EUR bn reen R I

EUR 5 bn Circular Economy

5

EUR 2 bn ther

5

EUR

2 billion

42

households and businesses. This requires large-scale renovations of existing buildings, the

construction of highly energy-efficient new buildings, and investments in more energy-

efficient industrial processes. To support these objectives, Member States are investing in

energy efficiency improvements across residential, commercial and public buildings, as

well as in businesses, while introducing reforms to remove regulatory barriers and

accelerate the uptake of energy efficiency measures.

3. Renewable energy and networks - EUR 58 billion

Meeting the EU’s climate and energy ambitions requires continuous, large-scale

investment to speed up the rollout of renewable energy and supporting infrastructure.

Through the RRF, support is directed towards both established and innovative renewable

technologies. Efforts are also being made to streamline regulations and permitting

procedures, strengthen public-private cooperation, support electricity networks and

interconnections and uphold supportive schemes.

Figure 17: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to the green transition assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The green transition measures under the RRP of Hungary have not been assessed as fulfilled yet.

Source: European Commission.

Progress in implementing green measures accelerated, in particular in the area of

renewable energy and networks (Figures 17 and 18).By August 2026, 60% of the

milestones and targets contributing to the green transition had been assessed by the

Commission as fulfilled by (1 530 out of 2 532). Over the past year, 487 milestones and

targets related to green measures were assessed as fulfilled, compared to 379 in the

previous reporting period, showing an acceleration in the completion of projects. Renewable

energy and networks recorded particularly strong progress. 131 milestones and targets in

renewable energy and networks were assessed as fulfilled over the past year, representing

around 26% of the green milestones and targets positively assessed in this period. This is

close to the 149 milestones and targets in this policy area fulfilled over all preceding

reporting periods combined. Significant progress was also recorded in energy efficiency, with

P e rc e n ta g e o f m ile st o n e s a n d t a rg e ts

43

103 milestones and targets fulfilled (20% of the total), and sustainable mobility, with 91

(18%) milestones and targets fulfilled.

Figure 18: Number of milestones and targets assessed as fulfilled during the reporting period (contributing to the green transition) compared to the number of milestones and targets fulfilled before 1 September 2025

Note: 23 milestones and targets contribute to both a primary andsecondary policy area of the green transition pillar.

Source: European Commission

Implementation progress was made in all Member States, although patterns

differed across policy areas. For example, progress in renewable energy and networks

was rather concentrated, with Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia and Austria accounting for around

half of the milestones and targets fulfilled. Progress in energy efficiency, on the other hand,

was more evenly distributed across Member States. In the area of sustainable mobility,

implementation over the past year was driven in particular by progress made in Czechia,

Poland, Austria and Belgium.

Digital transformation

The RRF contributes to making the digital transformation a reality across the EU.

The measures set out in national plans cover many different areas: deploying next-

generation digital infrastructures and advanced technologies, developing digital skills across

the population and the workforce, and helping enterprises and public services alike to

0

0

00

0

200

2 0

00

0

Primary pillar (before reporting period) Secondary pillar (before reporting period)

Primary pillar (during reporting period) Secondary pillar (during reporting period)

44

digitalise. A total of EUR 140 billion46 will contribute to the digital transformation pillar,

accounting for 26 of Member States’ total allocation (see Figure ).

Overview: The RRF’s support for the digital transformation

Figure 19: Contribution to the digital transformation, per policy area

Note: The figure shows the contribution of measures under the digital transformation pillar included under the RRF and presents the associated ex ante estimated costs (in EUR billion) of measures linked to this pillar via the digital intervention fields as described in Annex VII of the RRF Regulation. Percentage values indicate the share of a specific intervention field within the digital transformation pillar.

Source: European Commission

Reforms and investments in digital technologies, infrastructure and processes are central

to the EU's economic resilience, innovation and competitiveness. By combining regulatory

reforms with large-scale investments, the RRF helps Member States modernise their

economies while addressing long-standing structural bottlenecks. Digital measures also

help drive the twin green and digital transition, from energy-efficient data infrastructure

to digital tools that support the shift to clean-energy. At the same time, they strengthen

the EU's technological sovereignty by diversifying critical supply chains, building capacity

in strategic technologies, and improving the security and resilience of digital networks and

public infrastructure. The RRF supports a wide range of priorities that are crucial for the

EU’s digital transformation, including for instance:

46 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the digital transformation pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

EUR bn igital public

services 5

EUR bn igitalisation of

businesses 2

EUR 25 bn R I and

advanced technologies

EUR 2 bn uman capital

5

EUR bn Connectivity

EUR

billion

45

1. Digital public services - EUR 48 billion

Governments are expected to deliver public services that are as efficient and user-friendly

as the digital private services people use every day. Reflecting this shift, many national

RRPs prioritise digitalising public services and modernising public administration to

improve efficiency, service quality and reduce administrative burden.

2. Human capital - EUR 21 billion

Skills shortages remain one of the main barriers to Europe's digital transformation. Around

40% of Europeans lack basic digital skills47, while businesses continue to face shortages

of ICT specialists. The RRF tackles these challenges through reforms and investments in

education, training and lifelong learning, complemented by targeted support for vulnerable

groups.

3. Connectivity - EUR 13 billion

Uneven access to high-speed digital infrastructure remains a barrier to productivity,

innovation and equal access to digital services across the EU. The RRF addresses these

structural constraints through reforms that facilitate network deployment and

investments that expand fixed gigabit and 5G connectivity, helping to strengthen both

competitiveness and territorial cohesion.

The implementation of digital measures has accelerated significantly. By August

2026, 65% of the milestones and targets contributing to the digital transition had been

assessed by the Commission as fulfilled (1 241 out of 1 914 – see Figure 20). Over the past

year, the Commission assessed as fulfilled 471 milestones and targets of digital measures,

compared to 336 in the previous reporting period. They were predominantly concentrated in

e-government and public administration, with 229 milestones and targets fulfilled in that

area. This is followed by 57 milestones and targets fulfilled in human capital digitalisation.

Overall, there is some variability in the fulfilment rates among Member States, mainly due

to milestones and targets being organised differently across payment requests, with some

already finished (Denmark) or almost at full fulfilment (France) and others below 90%.

47 Eurostat. (2025). Individuals' level of digital skills (from 2021 onwards) [isoc_sk_dskl_i21]. https://doi.org/10.2908/ISOC_SK_DSKL_I21.

46

Figure 20: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to the digital transformation assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The digital transformation measures under the RRP of Hungary have not been assessed as fulfilled yet.

Source: European Commission

Smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

The 2 RRPs support “smart, inclusive and sustainable growth” (Pillar ) with

1 829 measures and sub-measures and an estimated EUR 285 billion48. These

measures cover a broad range of areas, including reforms to improve the business

environment—such as simplifying regulatory frameworks, reducing administrative burden

and modernising public administration—and measures to strengthen competitiveness,

including through more effective competition, public procurement and trade. They also

provide targeted support for SMEs, research, development and innovation, and the cultural

sector.

Progress in implementing measures related to “smart, sustainable and inclusive

growth” has accelerated markedly. By August 2026, over 66% of the milestones and

targets contributing to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth had been assessed by the

Commission as fulfilled (1 919 out of 2 895 – see Figure 21). Over the past year, 687

milestones and targets were assessed by the Commission as fulfilled, compared to 469 in

the previous reporting period, indicating strengthened implementation momentum for this

policy pillar. The largest overall share of the milestones and targets fulfilled (180) relate to

regulatory changes for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, followed by 135 milestones

and targets fulfilled in business environment.

48 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

P e rc e n ta g e o f m ile st o n e s a n d t a rg e ts

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Figure 21: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The measures under smart, sustainable and inclusive growth pillar in the Hungary’s RRP have not been assessed as fulfilled yet.

Source: European Commission

Social and territorial cohesion

Around 1 400 measures and sub-measures support social and territorial cohesion,

contributing also to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

(Pillar 4). The RRF supports “social and territorial cohesion” with around EUR 230 billion49.

The focus of these measures is on improving equal opportunities and access to the labour

market, fair working conditions and social protection and inclusion. All RRPs also support

reforms and investments aimed at improving different types of infrastructure and services

(such as transport, environment, energy and public administration) at local, regional and

other territorial levels. Some plans place stronger emphasis on cohesion, Spain and Italy

stand out in this respect, as social and territorial cohesion is streamlined across all

components of their RRPs.

The implementation of measures related to social and territorial cohesion

advanced well. By August 2026, 64% of the milestones and targets under this policy pillar

had been assessed by the Commissionas fulfilled (1 499 out of 2 342 – see Figure 22).

Over the past year, 553 milestones and targets related to social and territorial cohesion were

assessed as fulfilled, compared to 365 in the previous reporting period. The largest share of

milestones and targets fulfilled (209) relate to territorial infrastructure and services, pointing

to a significant contribution of the RRF to infrastructure projects.

49 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the social and territorial cohesion pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

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Figure 22: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to social and territorial cohesion assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The measures under social and territorial cohesion pillar in the Hungary’s RRP have not been assessed as fulfilled yet.

Source: European Commission

Health, economic and institutional resilience

2 218 milestones and targets for about EUR 96 billion50, included in the 27 RRPs,

contribute to the policy pillar of health, and economic, social and institutional

resilience. In their plans,Member States have included reforms and investments to improve

the resilience, accessibility and quality of healthcare and long-term care, including measures

to advance their digitalisation, and to increase the effectiveness of public administration and

judicial systems.The measures focus also on investing in economic, social and institutional

resilience to increase crisis preparedness and response capacity.

The implementation of the measures under health, economic and institutional

resilience has accelerated since the last reporting period. By 31 August 2026, 70 %

of the milestones and targets under this policy pillar had been assessed by the Commission

as fulfilled (1 563 out of 2 218 – see Figure 23). Over the past year, 520 milestones and

targets in this area were assessed as fulfilled, compared to 375 in the previous reporting

period. 40% of the milestones and targets fulfilled over the last year (i.e. 207 milestones

and targets) were supported the effectiveness of public administration and national systems.

50 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the health, economic and institutional resilience pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

49

Figure 23: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to health, economic and institutional resilience assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The measures under this policy pillar in the Hungary’s RRP have not been assessed as fulfilled yet.

Source: European Commission

Policies for the next generation

Measures under the “policies for the next generation, children and youth” pillar

focus primarily on education and training, early childhood education and care, and

support for youth employment. Across the 27 RRPs, approximately EUR 5451 billion is

allocated to this pillar that includes around 373 measures and sub-measures. The measures

have a strong focus on general, vocational, and higher education, while they contribute to a

smaller extent to early childhood education and care and to youth employment support.

Nearly two thirds of the milestones and targets under the pillar on policies for the

next generation (Pillar 6) have been assessed as fulfilled. Overall, 362 out of the 547

milestones and targets contributing to these objectives have been assessed by the

Commission as fulfilled (see Figure 24). Over the last year, the Commission positively

assessed 124 milestones and targets under this pillar, compared to 94 during the previous

reporting period. The largest share of fulfilled milestones and targets under this pillar (some

30%) relates to general, vocational and higher education.

51 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the measures allocated to the policies for the next generation pillar as primary and/or secondary policy pillar.

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Figure 24: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to policies for the next generation assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The Luxembourg RRP does not include milestones and targets contributing to policies for the next generation. The RRP of Hungary includes measures under this pillar, but they have not been positively assessed yet by the Commission.

Source: European Commission

Gender and youth52

RRPs continue to contribute to gender equality and support children and the young

people. Member States’ RRPs contain (sub-)measures that contribute an estimated

EUR 17.6 billion53 to gender equality. A breakdown of measures relevant for gender equality

per Member State is provided in Figure 26. RRPs also include 403 (sub-)measures that focus

on children and young people, contributing EUR 63 billion54. Relevant measures do not only

cover investments, which have associated costs, but also reforms, which typically have no

cost attached. Specifically, reforms represent more than 40% of the 123 (sub-)measures

supporting gender equality and 33% of the 403 (sub)measures contributing to children and

youth policies55.

52 Figures are illustrative, meant to be used for qualitative analysis, and do not constitute a comparative assessment of Member States’ RRPs. The number and structure of the measures in each national plan vary greatly, as well as the approach to reflect commitments to gender equality. More detailed analysis can be found in the Staff Working Documents adopted by the European Commission for each endorsed plan, as well as the Thematic Analysis on Equality on the RRF Scoreboard. Following the methodology for reporting social expenditure as set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2105, the Commission flagged measures that include a focus on gender equality. It should be noted that the Commission applied this methodology not only to measures of a social nature, but also to all other measures included in adopted RRPs having a focus on gender equality, in order to better capture these throughout the plans. This did not have to be the main focus of the concerned measures. Measures not flagged as such may also have an impact on gender equality. Figures presented here constitute the number and share of overall measures with such focus, and not the costs related to them.

53 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to share of measures with a focus on gender equality.

54 This figure shows cost estimates based on the pillar tagging methodology for the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard and corresponds to the share of measures with a focus on children and youth.

55 These figures do not include the contribution of other reforms and investments that may not initially be regarded as policies contributing to gender equality and to children and youth but whose implementation can have a significant positive impact in this regard. For example, reforms in healthcare might not initially be considered as policies contributing to gender equality but, considering the high percentage of women employed in this sector, their effective implementation can contribute to enhancing gender equality.

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Figure 25: Percentage of RRP measures with a focus on gender equality

Note: The RRPs of Denmark and Luxembourg do not include measures directly contributing to gender equality, although these RRPs may include measures that indirectly contribute to gender equality.

Source: Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

Member States have implemented measures that contribute to gender equality

and that focus on children and young people. By August 2026, of the 205 milestones

and targets with a focus on gender equality, 143 (or 70%) had been assessed by the

Commission as fulfilled (see Figure 25). In addition, 393 of the 584 milestones and targets

(or 67%) contributing to children and young people had been assessed by the Commission

as fulfilled (see Figure 26).

Figure 26: Percentage of milestones and targets contributing to gender equality assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The RRPs of Denmark and Luxembourg do not include measures directly contributing to gender equality, although these RRPs may include measures that indirectly contribute to gender equality. The RRP of Latvia and Hungary include several milestones and targets contributing to gender equality, which have not yet been assessed by the Commission as fulfilled.

Source: European Commission

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Figure 27: Percentage of milestones and targets with a focus on children and young people assessed as fulfilled, per Member State

Note: The RRPs of Luxembourg and Hungary do not include any milestones and targets contributing directly to children and young people.

Source: European Commission

Finally, while reporting on the progress of the implementing of their national plans,

Member States provide gender disaggregated data on some of the results. These

data are shown in the RRF Scoreboard and concern common indicators 8, 10, 11 and 14. For

example, women accounted for 25 000 out of 85 000 researchers employed by research

facilities supported by the RRF (common indicator 8). Additionally, more than half of people

supported by the RRF in employment or job searching activities in 2025 were women

(924 000 out of 1.6 million) (common indicator 11).

F. The RRF delivers on REPowerEU objectives

REPowerEU chapters continue to deliver results

The RRF remains a key instrument for implementing REPowerEU. Dedicated

REPowerEU chapters in Member States’ RRPs support reforms and investments to diversify

energy supplies, improve energy efficiency, expand clean energy production, and strengthen

the resilience and sustainability of the EU energy system. As a result of all measures taken

so far in the context of the REPowerEU plan, the EU has reduced the volumes of imported

Russian gas from 150 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to 36 bcm in 2025 – with the share

of Russian gas imports dropping from 45% to 12%56.

REPowerEU chapters include a total of 353 measures with an estimated cost of

more than EUR 53 billion. REPowerEU measures supported under the RRF make a

significant contribution to accelerating the EU’s green transition while strengthening its

energy resilience. The strategic importance of the REPowerEU objectives and implementing

56 European Commission – REPowerEU – 4 years on (REPowerEU - 4 years on)

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of the corresponding RRF chapters have been further reinforced by recent instability in the

Middle East. This has underscored the need for Europe to continue reducing its dependence

on imported fossil fuels and enhancing the resilience of its energy system. The uncertainty

and market volatility linked to the disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz

further highlight the continued relevance of the REPowerEU Plan and its objectives.

The measures included in the REPowerEU chapters continue to reinforce the RRF’s

contribution to climate objectives. Under the RRF, the additional REPowerEU support for

the green transition amounts to EUR 45.2 billion. This is equivalent to approximately 85% of

the total estimated cost of REPowerEU measures included in RRPs, well above the minimum

requirement of 37%, as set out in the RRF Regulation.

REPowerEU measures have a strong cross-border or multi-country dimension. This

reflects the inherently interconnected nature of the EU energy system and supports key

REPowerEU objectives, notably strengthening security of supply, reducing fossil fuel

dependence and lowering energy demand. In several regions, including the Baltics and

Southeastern Europe, new interconnectors are strengthening EU energy security by allowing

electricity to flow more freely between Member States. This reduces bottlenecks and

reinforces capacity. At the same time, most Member States are investing in energy storage

and grid modernisation, improving system flexibility and enabling a higher integration of

renewables. Direct RRF support for large scale cross-border infrastructure remains more

limited, partly reflecting the greater complexity and longer implementation timelines of such

projects. All 27 REPowerEU chapters include measures with multi-country or cross-border

dimension, with a total estimated cost of EUR 38.5 billion, equivalent to 72% of the total

cost of measures included in the chapters and well above the minimum 30% required by the

RRF Regulation.

54

Overview: The RRF’s support for the REPowerEU objectives

Figure 28: Contribution to the REPowerEU objectives, per objective

Note The category “Other” encompasses measures contributing to the REPowerEU objective, including “Improving energy infrastructure for security of supply” EUR 1.5 billion), “Incentivising reduction of energy demand” (EUR 1.2 billion), and “Requalifying the workforce” (EUR 1.0 billion).

Source: European Commission

Reforms and investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and modern electricity

infrastructure are essential for increasing the EU’s resilience and competitiveness. The use

of financial instruments in some Member States enhances the impact beyond the RRF

lifetime and is instrumental in reducing the EU’s dependence on fossil fuel imports by

diversifying energy sources and accelerating the deployment of renewables. To that end,

the RRF supports a wide range of priorities under the dedicated REPowerEU chapters,

including for instance boosting energy efficiency and decarbonising industry , addressing

infrastructure bottlenecks and enabling zero-emission transport, and incentivising the

reduction of energy demand.

1. Boosting energy efficiency, decarbonising industry, and renewables -

EUR 25 billion

The largest share of REPowerEU chapter funding targets measures to improve energy

efficiency, accelerate renewable deployment, and support industrial decarbonisation.

These measures directly cut emissions, enhance competitiveness, and strengthen long-

term energy resilience.

EUR 25 bn

oosting energy

e ciency,

decarbonising

industry, and

renewables

EUR bn

Addressing

bottlenecks,

ero emission

transport

EUR 2 bn

Addressing energy

poverty

EUR bn

ther

EUR bn

ot de ned

EUR 5 billion

55

2. Addressing bottlenecks, zero-emission transport – EUR 16 billion

REPowerEU chapters are tackling critical energy-system bottlenecks while accelerating the

shift to zero-emission mobility. These measures remove structural barriers, strengthen the

single energy market, and facilitate the uptake of clean transport.

3. Incentivising reduction of energy demand – EUR 1 billion

Member States are using REPowerEU chapter funding to drive immediate and sustained

reductions in energy consumption, including through increased energy efficiency. These

actions deliver rapid savings, help balance supply and demand, and reduce reliance on

fossil-fuel imports.

The implementation of REPowerEU measures has advanced well

The implementation of the measures set out in the REPowerEU chapters is now

moving towards its final stage. Of the 537 milestones and targets included in these

chapters, 287 were already reported as completed or assessed by the Commission as

satisfactorily fulfilled by 30 April 2026, the end of the latest bi-annual reporting round. This

corresponds to an implementation rate of around 53%, which can be explained by the later

adoption of the REPowerEU chapters and their implementation starting at a later stage. With

the Facility approaching its end, Member States are expected to have completed

implementation by 31 August 2026, while assessment will continue in the coming months.

Over the past year, implementation progressed particularly well in renewable

energy and energy networks, which accounted for the majority of newly fulfilled

milestones and targets. Beyond these areas, further progress was recorded in energy

efficiency, with 25 milestones and targets fulfilled, and in sustainable mobility, with 15,

reflecting progress in Czechia and Austria in particular. Seven additional milestones and

targets related to green skills and jobs, primarily in Portugal and Denmark. Further

achievements covered research, development and innovation in green activities, pollution

prevention and control, and other climate change mitigation measures, including measures

supporting a more sustainable industrial sector.

56

Conclusion

Over the past year, Member States made substantial progress in delivering on the

reforms and investments in their RRPs. By 1 October 2026, total disbursements under

the RRF had reached EUR 0 billion, or of the Facility’s total envelope. These payments

reflect the fulfilment of 4082 milestones and targets (or 68% of their total number across

all RRPs).

Member States significantly stepped up their efforts, and the Commission supported

them through the options outlined in the Communication NextGenerationEU – The Road to

2026, including the simplification of RRPs, and the guidance on the closure of the Facility.

On 31 August 2026, the implementation of milestones and targets under the

Recovery and Resilience Facility came to its end. The coming months will be crucial in

bringing the RRF to a successful conclusion. Member States had to submit their final payment

requests by end-September. The processing of the last payment requests will require close

cooperation and sustained efforts by the Commission and Member States’ administrations.

Since its creation, the Facility has helped Member States address common

challenges and strengthen their economic and social resilience. It has brought

together EU priorities and national reform and investment efforts, based on clear objectives

and deliverables.

Increasing evidence points to the positive impact of the RRF. It has strengthened the

focus on reforms and results, encouraged more integrated investment planning, and

demonstrated the added value of coordinated action at EU level. Its macroeconomic effects

are estimated to be significant, also thanks to its indirect spillovers impacts.