President Meloni chairs NRRP steering committee meeting on the fifth, sixth and seventh instalments of the Plan

The steering committee for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) met at Palazzo Chigi today, to discuss the work being carried out to verify achievement of the 52 milestones and targets required for the fifth instalment of the NRRP, which follows the payment request submitted by Italy on 28 December, the annual monitoring programme and the checking of the milestones and targets required for the sixth and seventh instalments of the new Italian Plan approved by the European Commission on 24 November. The meeting, called by Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policy and the NRRP Raffaele Fitto, was chaired by the President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, and was attended by the Ministers and Undersecretaries involved as well as by representatives of Regions, Provinces and Municipalities.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the implementation status of the Plan for an assessment regarding the work being carried out by the European Commission, to be completed before payment can be made for the fifth instalment, worth EUR 10.6 billion, in addition to which there will be a payment of EUR 551 million in pre-financing for Mission 7 - REPowerEU. The meeting also carried out an initial analysis regarding achievement of the 39 milestones and targets required for the sixth instalment, worth EUR 9.1 billion, and of the 74 milestones and targets required for the seventh instalment, worth EUR 19.6 billion. Both these instalments will be of strategic importance to support economic growth, with particular regard to the Mezzogiorno, also through more efficient and effective management of the economic resources for cohesion policy.

“Today’s steering committee meeting – stated the President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni – marks the beginning of another year of extraordinary commitment by the Government to ensure concrete implementation of the NRRP, following payment of the fourth instalment, submission of the payment request for the fifth instalment and, above all, the entry into force of the new Italian Plan, whose new measures include an allocation of more than EUR 12 billion to support business productivity and revitalize the economy through green technology, for the implementation of supply chain agreements and for the entire nation’s ecological and digital transition”.

In addition, EUR 1.2 billion are planned for reconstruction work in the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Marche regions, approximately EUR 5 billion for the strengthening of networks, the purchase of low-emission trains and the construction of new school buildings, and around EUR 4 billion for a series of measures for young people, to reform labour policy services, to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings and large apartment blocks, to develop telemedicine and to purchase major equipment for hospitals. “A year of hard work lies ahead and the NRRP steering committee will be at the centre of the Government’s actions to continue fuelling structural economic growth in Italy”, added President Meloni.

The milestones and targets for the fifth instalment of the Plan, which will be paid to Italy upon completion of the ongoing assessment process, as provided for by European procedures, include important measures such as the awarding of water industry contracts, railway line electrification in the Mezzogiorno and the Salerno-Reggio Calabria rail link. With regard to environmental measures, actions are planned to upgrade pipelines and purification systems and to build waste recovery facilities. With regard to the national education system, a reform is set to come into force regarding how the school system is organised, and the awarding of contracts for new school buildings is also planned. Significant accomplishments are also planned with regard to digitalisation, with particular reference to the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice, the Council of State, INPS [National Social Security Institute] and INAIL [National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work].

“As President Meloni has highlighted, the important results achieved by the Government – stated Minister Raffaele Fitto – provide further impetus to continue, extremely rigorously and at a rapid pace, towards achievement of the 113 milestones and targets for the sixth and seventh instalments, worth a total of EUR 28.7 billion. In 2024, we will continue to work hard to ensure full implementation of the Plan. Today, we must look to the future of the Italian system, implementing reforms and investments that will bring concrete benefits for citizens, businesses and the entire public administration sector”.

[Courtesy translation]