Subject: Transparency in the allocation of funds
As of 31 October 2021, payments of less than EUR 7.5 billion in European funds under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan had been committed in Spain. This amount is not even a third of the amount budgeted for this financial year.
In view of the lack of transparency and the difficulties encountered in accessing information about the level of implementation of these funds:
1. Has the Spanish Government provided the Commission with details of the percentage of the recovery funds already committed that are transfers to other public administrations or public bodies?
2. Has the Spanish government provided the Commission with details of the percentage of the recovery funds already committed that has reached the production system or ‘real economy’? How much has reached businesses, SMEs and the self-employed?
3. Has the Spanish Government provided the Commission with details of the percentage of the recovery funds already committed that has been allocated directly and how much has been allocated through competitive tendering?
Answer given by Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis on behalf of the European Commission (11 March 2022)
Payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) are contingent on Member States achieving the corresponding milestones and targets.
These are set out in the Council Implementing Decision (CID) approving its recovery and resilience plan (RRP). Further, the Operational Arrangements identify the indicative timeline for payment requests and the evidence needed to show that the different milestones and targets have been met.
In their dialogue with the Commission, Member States report on the fulfilment of the specific milestones and targets outlined in the CID and, twice a year, on a set of common indicators (1).
Unless specifically warranted by the CID, for the release of RRF funding, there is no requirement for Member States to submit to the Commission the proof of spending or of transfers to implementing bodies.
Member States do however have to declare the cumulated expenditure incurred for measures associated with a climate coefficient (2).
It is for Member States to make sure that the RRP is implemented in accordance with the national and EC law. However, if deemed necessary, the Commission can request supplementary information and carry out on-the-spot system audits (3).
Spain has made available a website (4) to monitor the implementation of the plan. The first progress report on the implementation was published on 14 December 2021 (5) in that website and was sent to the Commission.
That report also includes detailed reporting on the share of budget assigned to reach regions, on the budget authorised and committed and on the tenders organised so far.
⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/recovery-and-resilience-scoreboard/common_indicators.html?lang=en
⋅2∙ In the context of each payment request.
⋅3∙ In accordance with Article 22 of the RRF Regulation and Article 11 of the Financing Agreement, the Commission can request supplementary information and carry
out on-the-spot system audits, in order to be assured that the Member State’s internal control systems are adequate and fulfil the requirements of the financing agreement, including those which refer to the implementation of proportionate anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures, as well as any necessary measure to effectively avoid conflict of interests.
⋅4∙ https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/
⋅5∙ https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/sites/default/files/2021-12/15122021_Informe_de_Ejecucion_del_Plan_de_Recuperacion.pdf
| | ) Spain already submitted a payment request for the first instalment (6) that was assessed positively by the Commission and the Council’s Economic and Financial Committee (7).
⋅6∙ On 11 November 2021, Spain submitted a payment request for the first instalment based on the achievement of the 52 milestones selected for the first instalment,
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_21_5983
⋅7∙ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_22_22 (27 December 2021).