Brussels, 11 July 2024
Today, the Commission disbursed to Ireland the first payment for €324 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
As for all Member States, payments made to Ireland under the RRF are performance-based and depend on the implementation by Ireland of the investments and reforms described in its recovery and resilience plan.
On 7 September 2023, Ireland submitted its first payment request of €324 million under the RRF to the Commission. This request covers 35 milestones and 5 targets, including several key reforms: promoting digital transition, implementing an SME test in policymaking, strengthening anti-money laundering regulations, addressing aggressive tax planning, reforming pensions and healthcare, increasing the supply of social and affordable housing, and amending carbon tax policies.
These milestones and targets also include investments in the modernisation of railway infrastructure, rehabilitation of peatlands, digital transformation of businesses and schools, retrofit works on government buildings, river basin management, the Recovery Skills Response Programme, and the Technological Universities Transformation Fund.
On 21 May 2024, the Commission adopted a positive preliminary assessment of Ireland’s payment request. The favourable opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee of the Council that followed paved the way for the Commission to adopt a final decision on the disbursement of the funds.
You can find more information on Ireland’s Recovery and Resilience plan equally online, which features an interactive map of projects financed by the RRF, as well as on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. More information on the process of payment requests under the RRF can be found in this document with questions and answers.