Reaching for a green recovery: what holds back progress in ten EU recovery and resilience plans

Report    |    3 February 2022

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Photo: Dennis Schroeder – NREL GPA Photo Archive

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is intended to finance reforms and investments in Member States to rebound from the pandemic and pursue a green transition. Each Member State is required to submit a national plan for approval that sets out the reforms and investments each commits to implement, with at least 37 per cent of the funds earmarked for climate action, and nothing in the plans should harm the environment.  

The RRF therefore is an important opportunity for EU Member States to accelerate the ‘green transition’, but have they made the most of this fund? 

This report analyses ten final recovery plans based on the assessments of Bankwatch and CAN Europe member organisations. For each country analysis, key investments and reforms in the national recovery plan are assessed from a climate action perspective and the ‘do no significant harm’ principle. Each country section includes recommendations addressed to the Member State and the European Commission.