Europäischer Rechnungshof - European Court of Auditors
(press briefing) EU €650 billion recovery funding – what are the key lessons of RRF weaknesses?
Press invitation
for 6 May 2025
EU €650 billion recovery funding – what are the key lessons of RRF weaknesses?
- Online press briefing: Tuesday 6 May at 10.00 a.m. CEST
- Publication: Same day at 5.00 p.m. CEST
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) would like to invite you to an online press briefing on its upcoming review about the lessons learnt from the weaknesses of the €650 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) – at 10.00 a.m. CEST on Tuesday 6 May 2025.
The purpose of the briefing is to provide a detailed overview of the key messages from the review, which summarises the ECA’s audits and opinions on the RFF so far and presents the lessons learnt from the RRF’s weaknesses. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the report with ECA Members Ivana Maletić and Jorg Petrovič.
RSVP: Please let us know by 1.00 p.m. on Monday 5 May whether you intend to take part in the online briefing; we will then send you detailed instructions on how to connect. To allow for an informed discussion, confirmed participants can receive an embargoed copy of the review and press release upon request ahead of the briefing. Both documents will be published on the ECA website at 5.00 p.m. on Tuesday 6 May.
Background
The RRF is the centrepiece of Next Generation EU funds, which aimed to help EU countries to mitigate the economic fallout from the pandemic and build resilient economies. Established in February 2021, the RFF finances member state measures in six pre-defined areas, including the green and digital transitions, between the start of the pandemic in February 2020 and August 2026, the year in which it also ends. Its initial budget was €724 billion, but the countries signed up for €650 billion (€359 billion in grants and €291 billion in loans). To receive the funds (except pre-financing), EU countries must fulfil predefined milestones and targets. This is the first time the EU has used common borrowing and financing not linked to costs on a large scale. The report comes against the backdrop of ongoing political discussions on the EU’s long-term budget after 2027. The European Commission is expected to present the next financial framework in July 2025.
Press contact
ECA press office: press@eca.europa.eu
Damijan Fišer: M: (+352) 621 552 224