The EESC has adopted an evaluation report on the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a vital EUR 723.8 billion instrument introduced in February 2021 to aid Member States in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This report includes key recommendations from social partners and civil society organisations in Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal and Romania regarding the involvement of civil society in implementing the RRF.

The EESC's evaluation identifies issues with the RRF's effectiveness, citing delays and concerns about long-term implementation due to fund absorption, limited durations of plans and administrative capacity. Excessive requirements hinder SME access. While civil society views the RRF's objectives as relevant, alignment with national strategies requires improved coordination.

"Organised civil society deplores the lack of transparency in the process of defining and implementing the plan, and calls for structured and transparent dialogue, feedback loops and proactive involvement by means of an active monitoring committee", explains Elena Calistru, EESC rapporteur.

The report recommends improving access to timely and detailed RRP information, streamlining project implementation, enhancing flexibility in project selection and funding allocation, and establishing more effective, mandatory monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for long-term RRF impact assessment, with active civil society participation. (tk)