Ireland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Latest state of play

Ireland's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) has the fourth smallest allocation in absolute figures under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Following the European Commission's 2022 update of national allocations, the initial €989 million allocation was adjusted to €914.4 million in grants, to be disbursed in five instalments. Ireland asked to amend its latest plan in March 2024, when it submitted a new REPowerEU chapter to accelerate the green transition, leading to the allocation of additional funding. The Council approved the new NRRP in June 2024, bringing Ireland's new total to €1 153.8 million in grants. Ireland received its first payment of €324.8 million in July 2024. Relative to the size of its economy, Ireland's RRF grants are not large: around 0.3 % of the country's 2019 gross domestic product (GDP), while the total RRF amounts to 5.2 % of 2019 EU 27 GDP. Given also that spending is spread over the years up to 2026, the RRF is not expected to have a significant direct impact on Ireland's key macroeconomic indicators. The European Commission estimates that it could increase Ireland's GDP by 0.1 % by 2026. А more significant indirect impact is expected from the overall boost to the EU economy and the associated cross-border spillover effects. The plan's overall objective is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery. It complements the government's broader domestic efforts under the economic recovery plan, underpinned by the national development plan (NDP) of €165 billion, for 2021 to 2030. Although the RRF allocation amounts to less than 1 % of the total NDP investment, the plan's 19 investments and 10 reforms focus on strategic EU priorities. The Irish NRRP allocates 50.2 % of funding to climate-related measures (boosted by REPowerEU) and, excluding REPowerEU, 34.2 % to digital measures. The European Parliament participates in interinstitutional forums for cooperation and discussion on the implementation of the RRF, and scrutinises the European Commission's work. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States. Fourth edition. The 'NGEU delivery' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the lifecycle of the plans.