EU Commission gives green light for payment of new tranche for Italy’s NRRP

Brussels – The European Commission endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Italy’s sixth payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). At the centerpiece of the European NextGenerationEU, €8.7 billion (net of pre-financing) was granted, €1.8 billion in grants, and €6.9 billion in loans.

Once again, the EU executive expresses satisfaction with Italy’s path, having satisfactorily completed the 23 milestones and 16 targets set in the Council’s implementation decision for the sixth installment.

The sectors involved are digitization, public administration, business environment, justice, labor, clean mobility, renewable energy, gas supply security, agribusiness, waste management, and health care, to which 17 investments and as many reforms are dedicated.

Two key reforms are at the heart of this request. The first related to combating undeclared work, on which Italy has increased controls and penalties, promoting incentives for declared work and training of operators. There is also a commitment to address the exploitation of workers in agriculture, to collect detailed data, and to create a national information campaign. 

The second focuses on investments in the Adriatic line relative to RepowerEU. Contracts have been awarded to construct crucial components of the Adriatic pipeline: the Sulmona compressor station and the pipeline connecting the Sestino and Minerbio nodes. The 375 million euros committed will contribute to the security of gas supplies for Italy and Europe, boosting diversification of energy sources and reducing dependence on Russian gas. Parallel to this is the investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency that will contribute to the green transition and energy security.

In the next four weeks, the Economic and Financial Committee will give its final assessment, which may or may not confirm the green light and allow the Commission to make a payment decision.