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The European Parliament called on Wednesday for an extra one-and-a-half years to continue spending money under the EU’s €650 billion post-pandemic plan, Next GenerationEU.
The resolution, drafted by Romanian MEPs Victor Negrescu and Siegfried Mureşan, was adopted by 421 votes to 180, and with 55 abstentions. It stressed the need to ensure that key investments financed by the plan’s so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) reach the finish line before the deadline foreseen in August 2026.
It proposed time extensions should apply only to projects that are already well underway and likely to succeed with additional time.
Lawmakers also warned that the limited time remaining to allocate and implement the remaining RRF resources poses serious obstacles to completing critical reforms, large-scale investments, and innovative programs in some countries.
With around 70% of objectives and milestones still unmet, MEPs urged the European Commission to consider setting up successor mechanisms that are both adaptive and forward-looking, while providing a stable framework for replace the plan to guarantee continued investment.
“Critical investments risk being left unfinished after the end of the Facility in August 2026. I called for an extension of funding of 18 months for mature projects and demanded that unfinished projects can continue under other EU instruments such as the cohesion funds, InvestEU, or a future Competitiveness Fund,” said Socialist MEP Victor Negrescu, co-rapporteur on behalf of the Parliament’s Committee on Budgets.
“Today, the Parliament is sending a clear message: we stand by the citizens and fight for the finalisation of essential projects.”
According to the resolution adopted by the Parliament, the RRF has been vital in preventing economic fragmentation within the EU’s single market while spurring post-pandemic recovery.
Looking forward, they call for targeted investment in areas such as defence, education, and high-speed cross-border transport infrastructure, while encouraging member states to revise their national investment strategies, in order to enhance the EU’s energy independence.
“We are calling for a review of how unspent RRF funds can support Europe’s new strategic priorities, notably strengthening competitiveness and reinforcing our defence capabilities. In the face of rising geopolitical tensions, Europe must act decisively to defend its citizens,” stated European People’s Party’s MEP Siegfried Mureşan, who is co-rapporteur for the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
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