Brussels, 25 August 2023
Yesterday, Sweden submitted a request to the Commission to modify its recovery and resilience plan, to which it also wishes to add a REPowerEU chapter.
The REPowerEU chapter covers measures related to the energy efficiency of buildings and the streamlining of authorisation processes for the construction of electricity grids. One new reform, as well as two existing measures which have been scaled up are included in the chapter to deliver on the REPowerEU objectives.
Sweden’s proposed modification of the plan, which will now be assessed by the Commission, also foresees the modification of one planned measure.
Sweden’s request to modify its plan is based on the need to factor in the downward revision of its maximum Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) grant allocation, from €3.29 billion to €3.18 billion. The revision is part of the June 2022 update to the RRF grants allocation key and reflects Sweden’s comparatively better economic outcome in 2020 and 2021 than initially foreseen.
Sweden has requested to transfer part of its share of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, amounting to €66 million, to its recovery and resilience plan. Together with Sweden’s REPowerEU grants allocation (€198.7 million), these funds make the submitted modified plan worth €3.46 billion.
The Commission has now up to two months to assess whether the modified plan still fulfils all the assessment criteria in the RRF Regulation. If the Commission’s assessment is positive, it will make a proposal for an amended Council Implementing Decision to reflect the changes to the Swedish plan. Member States will then have up to four weeks to endorse the Commission’s assessment.
More information on the process concerning REPowerEU chapters and the revision of recovery and resilience plans can be found in this Q&A.
Source – EU Commission