On 7 September, the European Commission positively assessed the Netherlands’ fourth payment request of €661 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments tied to this payment request, amongst others in the areas of innovation, education and energy efficiency.
The Commission found that the Netherlands has satisfactorily completed all 9 milestones and 15 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.
Flagship measures in this payment request include major investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, enabling offshore wind generation and contributing to over 820,000 energy-saving upgrades for homes; innovation and educational support, including boosting the use of green hydrogen through research and demonstration projects, launching projects to improve digital education solutions and up- and reskilling of unemployed persons; and significant tax and economic reforms such as limiting tax loopholes and supporting the transition to a new pension system.
A press release is available online.