Answer given by Mr Gentiloni on behalf of the European Commission
14.9.2022
According to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) regulation, Member States are expected to implement the recovery and resilience plan (RRP) as endorsed by the Council in the implementing decision , which includes clear milestones and targets with clear timelines.
The RRP includes a governance framework encompassing coordination and monitoring activities by central administrations, which will be remaining in place for the duration of the RRP. This framework would contribute to ensure continuity in the RRP implementation.
The set-up of the governance framework constituted a milestone of the first payment request, which was assessed positively by the Commission.
In line with Article 21 of the RRF regulation, once a Council Implementing Decision on a given plan has been adopted, only in specific cases may Member States request a modification of that plan.[1]
Notably, to amend its plan, a Member State would have to demonstrate that it can no longer implement (part of) its plan due to objective circumstances. A change of government in and of itself is not an objective circumstance within the meaning of the RRF Regulation.
If Italy will decide to modify its plan in accordance with the elements mentioned, the Commission stands ready to assist the Italian authorities in line with the RRF Regulation.
In particular, any modified plan must be assessed by the Commission in line with the criteria of the RRF Regulation and, conditional to a positive assessment, the Council must adopt an amended Council Implementing Decision, for it to come into force.
- [1] The ‘Commission Notice: Guidance on Recovery and Resilience Plans in the context of REPowerEU’ outlines the possible grounds for modification of a RRP on page 10-19. See https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/commission-notice-guidance-recovery-and-resilience-plans-context-repowereu_en