The government's National Recovery
and Resilience Plan (NRRP) task force on Tuesday approved
modifications to the targets for the fourth instalment of EU
funding at an urgent meeting called to get the massive
post-COVID investment programme back on track, sources said.
Changes to 10 of the 27 targets for the fourth tranche were
agreed with the European Commission, the sources said.
The post-COVID NRRP seeks to make the Italian economy Greener
and more modern with projects financed the help of almost 200
billion euros in EU grants and low-interest loans.
However, the plan has been at the centre of political tension
linked to fears it will not be possible to complete all the
projects by the deadline of 2026.
Rome has been in talks with Brussels on modifications to the
plan.
The European Commission is still making assessments for approval
of the long-delayed payment of the third tranche of NRRP funding
worth 19 billion euros.
Payments are made by the EU on condition that agreed targets
have been met. To date Italy has received nearly 67 billion
euros in funding.
Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein on Tuesday called on
Premier Giorgia Meloni to report to parliament over the NRRP
delays.
"Premier Meloni should take on her responsibilities and come to
parliament to explain why not even one euro of the third
instalment of the NRRP has materialized yet and why the fourth
instalment risks being delayed too," Schlein said.
"She should remember that we are talking about resources
regarding strategic investments for business, jobs and people's
lives and obtaining them is essential to get the country
moving".
Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, meanwhile, said that the
government would manage if there were to be further delays in
the approval of EU funds for the NRRP.
"Obviously, if the third NRRP instalment had come in earlier, it
would have been better,"Giorgetti told a press conference.
"But we are managing the situation, confident that this blessed
third instalment will finally be allocated.
"What I'm hoping for is that these funds arrive.
"If they don't arrive, we are able to manage the situation at
the moment".
He added that he was hopeful Tuesday's meeting of the
government's NRRP task force would be a "decisive" step forward.
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