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End of July, the European Commission published its review report on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), almost 1,5 years after the adoption of the regulation.

A quick reminder: the RRF is a funding instrument containing more than €723 billion in loans and grants for EU countries to help finance reforms and investments that make economies and societies more sustainable, resilient, and better prepared for becoming climate neutral and more digital.

Ahead of its publication, Social Platform sent an advocacy letter to the European Commission. In it, we called for including a breakdown of investment by priority, including social priorities, describing how it reaches different population groups, especially those in vulnerable situations. We also asked for a section that evaluates the quality – not just the quantity – of stakeholder involvement in the implementation of the NRRPs and address areas for improvement in future Semester cycles through country-specific recommendation.

So, did the European Commission take up our recommendations? Continue reading to find out!

Generally, the report assesses the contribution of Member States’ national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs) to agreed climate and digital targets as well as each of the six thematic pillars, which include social priorities. It states the share of NRRPs’ estimated spending per pillar and highlights that more than a quarter of the total spending in adopted plans is estimated to contribute to social objectives. The report also breaks down the share of RRF social spending by main social categories: employment and skills (20%), education and childcare (33%), health and long-term care (32%) as well as social policies (15%). Unfortunately, the country-specific breakdown of the contribution to social objectives as share of NRRP allocation that is provided for green and digital objectives is missing.

Additionally, the analysis remains rather quantitative. The report contains a chapter on the contribution of the RRF to tackling gender inequalities, which is welcome, but further breakdowns for different population groups, especially those in vulnerable situations, are missing. This is problematic, as it will make it difficult to measure the impact of the RRF on these groups and determine its effectiveness in reducing inequalities, in line with the EU headline targets on employment, skills and poverty reduction.

Unfortunately, our ask for a section of the report that evaluates stakeholder involvement has not been taken on board at all. The report rightfully states that the success of the RRF depends on the close involvement of social partners, civil society organizations, local and regional authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders. Nevertheless, it neither analyses their quantitative nor their qualitative involvement. Civil society organisations faced significant difficulties when trying to influence the development of NRRPs after the European Commission did not make stakeholder involvement an assessment criterion for approving or rejecting NRRPs. Not evaluating this aspect in this report is yet another missed opportunity for the European Commission to walk the talk and strengthen stakeholder involvement in the implementation of the RRF.