Today, the Commission positively assessed Belgium's third payment request for €614 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility , the cornerstone of NextGenerationEU. This assessment marks an important step towards the disbursement of €594 million in grants and €20 million in loans to support Belgium's economic growth and reforms.
The Commission found that Belgium has satisfactorily achieved 21 milestones and 14 targets that are anticipated to benefit Belgian citizens and businesses. Reforms and investments focus on spending reviews, labour market, childcare infrastructure, education, training and climate adaptation. They also include the development of railways, urban mobility solutions, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, hydrogen transport, and research and development.
Energy transition is another strong element of the Belgian recovery plan. It includes the development of renewable energies, the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the renovation of private and social housing, to address the challenges of poor insulation in many buildings. This will enhance living comfort, lower energy bills and consumption, reduce carbon footprints, mitigate energy poverty, and foster social inclusion.
Next steps
The Commission has now sent this preliminary assessment of Belgium's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to deliver its opinion. The payment to Belgium can take place following the EFC's opinion, and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission.
Background
Belgium's recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures. The plan will be financed by €5 billion in grants and €244 million in loans.
An interactive map of projects financed by the RRF, including the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard
