Members of the European Parliament on Thursday called for national recovery plans for EU member states to be fully aligned with the needs and goals of fair and green growth and digital transformation, the European Parliament said.

“The resolution on the ongoing evaluation of the national recovery plans submitted so far by EU member states to the Commission (23 as of June 8) was adopted on Thursday with 514 votes to 163 and 9 abstentions,” the EP reported.

“MEPs stress that the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is a historic EU instrument that must not only mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but must also have a lasting impact on prosperity and help distribute growth fairly. They call on the Commission to only approve plans that fully meet the targets and goals agreed in the RRF regulation and to not bow to any political pressure,” the parliament said.

Croatia submitted its official recovery and resilience plan to the Commission on May 15, asking for nearly €6.4 billion in non-repayable grants for green and digital economy, public administration and justice, education, science and research, the labour market, and social welfare and health. The plan includes an initiative for the reconstruction of buildings, and the government expects that in the next five years it will be able to make the economy more resilient to future crises through investments and projects.

Most important areas: Climate and digital transition

“MEPs demand that the Commission carefully assesses and ensures that each of the national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) contributes effectively to the six agreed policy areas: the green transition, digital transformation, competitiveness, social cohesion, institutional crisis-reaction and preparedness, and the next generation including education and skills,” the parliament said.

“Plans have to dedicate at least 37% of their budget to climate protection, they stress, including biodiversity, and the ‘do no significant harm’ provisions are a crucial tool for supporting the green transition,” they added. “MEPs point out that the budget dedicated to digital actions (20%) must contribute to the digital transition including security issues, the EU’s strategic interests and digital infrastructure.”

Fair growth throughout the EU

“In order to ensure the highest possible impact, the funds must be fairly distributed across sectors, societies and with future generations and gender equality in mind,” the parliament said.

They added that “no project can go against EU values. They want to ensure that civil society, social partners, and local and regional authorities are consulted in the implementation and the monitoring of the plans in order to better involve the recipients and make the plans transparent.”