Subject: Data on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in Spain
On 31 October 2023, the Spanish General Comptroller of the State Administration (IGAE) published the 2023 General State Budget implementation data. However, in the chapter on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the final implementation data, i.e. the information on the funds that have already reached final recipients and thus entered the real economy, remains unpublished. This is despite the constant calls from regional and municipal governments, opposition parties, independent bodies, economic institutions, civil society and the European Parliament itself.
In light of this:
1. Has the Spanish Government provided the Commission with the final implementation data for the Recovery and Resilience Facility?
2. Beyond the funds committed and the payments made, should the Spanish Government not publish final implementation data in the interests of transparency and a real understanding of the impact and management of these funds in Spain?
Submitted:14.12.2023
Answer given by Mr Gentiloni on behalf of the European Commission
(15 March 2024)
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is a performance-based instrument. The regulation establishing the RR F (1) does not include an obligation for Member States to inform the Commission on final payments made to beneficiaries, unless this is required by a specific milestone or target of the Council implementing decision approving the national plan or in the context of specific audit and control procedures.
The Commission has constantly stressed the importance of transparency in the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plans.
Spain has made available detailed information on the amounts awarded in calls managed at central level (including specific information on calls addressed to small and medium enterprises) and on transfers made to regions by 30 November 2023 on its public website (2).
The fourth progress report on the recovery and resilience plan published by Spain in December 2023 also includes the approximate number of calls awarded at regional level (3).
The information on implementation in the recovery and resilience plan website has recently been updated in order to cover amounts awarded until the end of December 2023. Spain also published the list of the 100 largest final recipients in December 2023.
1 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 057
18.2.2021, p. 17), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023. 2 ∙ ⸱ https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/ejecucion/datos-periodicos-de-ejecucion-del-plan 3 ∙ ⸱ https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/sites/default/files/2023-12/21122023_IV_Informe_de_Ejecucion_del_Plan_de_Recuperacion_completo_0.pdf