EU Parliament tries to reopen the NRRP chapter: “18 more months to spend resources”

from the Strasbourg correspondent – Eighteen more months, a year and a half beyond the 2026 deadline to use Recovery Fund funds that finance National Recovery Plans (NRRPs). The European Parliament is attempting to overcome the European Commission’s resistance and secure investments, construction sites, and, above all, resources. The resolution adopted today (18 June) does not call for anything to be put back on the table, but for flexibility for “projects at an advanced stage”, so that what is not yet completed in 2026 can be completed, to avoid waste.

The resolution is non-legislative, and therefore non-binding, but the message from the chamber —421 votes for, 180 against and 55 abstentions—is all political. “We cannot ignore the fact that only 30 per cent of the milestones and targets have been fully implemented, with €300 billion still to be disbursed,” stresses a concerned Victor Negrescu (S&D), co-rapporteur of the text, after the vote. With 70 per cent of the targets still pending, the chamber expressed ‘concern’ about the tight timeframe for the implementation of the remaining funds. The completion of the planned reforms is at risk. That is why, the socialist member continued, for everything that is not in an advanced stage when the Recovery Fund expires, “I have also asked that the unfinished projects can continue through other EU instruments, such as the cohesion funds, InvestEU or a future competitiveness fund.”

On the other hand, Sigfried Muresan (EPP), the other co-rapporteur on the measure, relaunches the debate on the financing of the defence industry, emphasising that through the resolution “we are also asking for an assessment of how the unspent Recovery Fund funds can be used for the EU’s new strategic priorities, in particular competitiveness and defence”. A reconsideration that certainly helps to dispel doubts about an eventual use of cohesion funds for the heavy industry.

Pnrr, la scadenza del 2026 non si tocca. L’Ue ai Paesi membri: “No ai miracoli, ok solo a progetti fattibili”

The Italians are divided

The proposal to give governments and local authorities an extra 18 months to use Recovery resources divides the Italians in the European Parliament. Democratic Party, Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia say ‘yes’, Five Star Movement, Greens and Italian Left vote ‘no’, while the Lega abstains, marking its distance from its majority allies in Italy. The Dem Marco Tarquinio, in spite of the rest of the PD troop, abstains. “I decided to abstain in the final vote because a paragraph is also included in the text that opens the door to the use of the NRRP for military spending,” he complains. A similar objection comes from the M5S delegation: “Using Recovery Fund funds for European rearmament is madness and a betrayal of national interests.” For the 5-Star Movement, “hijacking investments earmarked to make our country more sustainable and inclusive with the stated aim of accelerating the militarisation of the European economy is simply unacceptable.”

On the other hand, Marco Falcone (Fi/PPE) exults: “Thanks to Forza Italia and the EPP, the European Parliament is officially asking to save all those projects of the NRRP that, although not completed by 30 June 2026, will already be mature or will be just a few steps away from completion.” If confirmed, it would be an amendment to the regulation that is “fundamental for Italy,” since, he explains, it would make it possible to “safeguard hundreds of strategic projects, guarantee the continuity of public works, and protect the jobs of the companies involved.”