Italy has failed to accelerate its use of EU COVID-19 recovery funds, with government data showing it has spent only about half of the money received so far.
By 2026 Rome is due to have received 194.4 billion euros ($209.87 billion) from the EU's so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), but the government is struggling to put the latest windfall to good use due to red tape and administrative delays.
As of December 2024 Rome had spent 63.9 billion euros of the 122 billion of EU funds it had received since Brussels began disbursing the cash in instalments in 2021, EU Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti said in a statement on Thursday.
When including the seventh instalment worth 18.2 billion euros, for which Italy requested payment to EU authorities at the end of last year, the spending rate stood at 45%, unchanged from June last year.
In late 2022, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni targeted investment of around 108 billion by the end of 2024.
"Around 92% of the entire plan is in the implementation or closure phase," Foti said in a statement.
Opposition parties asked the government for an urgent report to parliament over the implementation of the plan.
However, Meloni's office said Italy was first in Europe for total resources received and number of payment requests formalised.
Rome had hoped to see a major economic boost from the EU cash, but the euro zone's third largest economy has expanded by just 0.7% in each of the last two years, and economists expect a similar rate this year.
Foti said all relevant institutions would make every effort to achieve the objectives needed to unlock the last three instalments worth 54 billion euros.
Italy, which has already revised its recovery plan four times, is also negotiating with Brussels a final overhaul with the aim of replacing or downscaling projects that the government will be unable to complete by the 2026 deadline, with others that could be wrapped up within the allowed timeframe.
Delays affect dozens of projects in areas including the rollout of ultra-fast broadband networks, high-speed train lines and plans to create more affordable childcare.
In a landmark moment for artists’ rights, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a long-running dispute over who controls her music.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Friday that COVID-19 vaccines are still recommended for healthy children aged 6 months and older—if their doctors agree.
A 61-year-old man in Alaska rescued after being trapped facedown under a massive 700-pound boulder in a freezing glacier-fed creek for three hours.
Two foreign nationals were indicted Friday in California and Wisconsin for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive U.S. military technology to China and target an American dissident critical of Beijing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight, which ended with the spacecraft spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
In a landmark moment for artists’ rights, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a long-running dispute over who controls her music.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Friday that COVID-19 vaccines are still recommended for healthy children aged 6 months and older—if their doctors agree.
A 61-year-old man in Alaska rescued after being trapped facedown under a massive 700-pound boulder in a freezing glacier-fed creek for three hours.
Two foreign nationals were indicted Friday in California and Wisconsin for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive U.S. military technology to China and target an American dissident critical of Beijing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight, which ended with the spacecraft spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
AnewZ takes to the streets of Yerevan and Baku to ask a simple yet deeply complex question: How do you see peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan? In the first part of our special report, we hear the hopes, doubts, and scars still shaping people’s perspectives on both sides.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
A car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s Premier League title in the city centre on Monday evening, injuring dozens including 4 children. A 53-year-old man believed to be the driver was arrested at the scene.
EU ministers have greenlit a massive €150 billion defense investment fund—dubbed the Security Action for Europe (SAFE)—as the bloc ramps up its military readiness in response to Russia’s aggression and growing uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees.
Kyiv faced a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault overnight, with explosions and gunfire echoing throughout the city, forcing residents to shelter in subway stations.
In a landmark moment for artists’ rights, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a long-running dispute over who controls her music.
A 61-year-old man in Alaska rescued after being trapped facedown under a massive 700-pound boulder in a freezing glacier-fed creek for three hours.
Two foreign nationals were indicted Friday in California and Wisconsin for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive U.S. military technology to China and target an American dissident critical of Beijing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight, which ended with the spacecraft spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned Friday after opposition parties called for his removal over a controversy involving bitcoins donated to the Ministry of Justice.
In a landmark moment for artists’ rights, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a long-running dispute over who controls her music.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Friday that COVID-19 vaccines are still recommended for healthy children aged 6 months and older—if their doctors agree.
A 61-year-old man in Alaska rescued after being trapped facedown under a massive 700-pound boulder in a freezing glacier-fed creek for three hours.
Two foreign nationals were indicted Friday in California and Wisconsin for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive U.S. military technology to China and target an American dissident critical of Beijing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight, which ended with the spacecraft spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment