Opaque and partisan criteria in the distribution of Next Generation EU funds among Spanish regions
1.2.2021
Priority question for written answer P-000608/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE), Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE), Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (PPE), Dolors Montserrat (PPE)
On 20 January 2021, a number of Spanish regional ministries wrote to the Commission President to complain about the Spanish Government’s poor management of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
The letter draws the Commission’s attention to the fact that ‘the criteria for distributing European funds on national territory are being imposed unilaterally by the Spanish Government, without transparency, by means of sectarian, undemocratic decisions intended to benefit certain territories for political reasons, which is clearly unacceptable’. They are afraid that the Government is favouring some regions over others for political reasons that run counter to social and territorial cohesion.
The regional ministries also complained that the Government was not involving regional authorities at all in the drafting of Spain’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
- 1.What view does the Commission take of these facts?
- 2.How will it ensure that the Spanish Government uses transparent and non-partisan criteria in the distribution of RRF funds among Spanish regions?
- 3.How will it assess whether regional and local authorities’ contributions have been incorporated in the National Plan?