The 27 member states of the European Union agreed in July 2020 on a €750 billion post-Covid recovery plan called NextGenerationEU. Its main instrument is the Recovery and Resilience Facility, through which the European Commission has already disbursed €450 billion out of €573 billion. The programme is due to come to an end in a few months. The Commission is currently assessing Member States’ claims for the remaining funds.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility provides for negotiated national plans that entitle member states to grants and, in some cases, loans. These funds have amounted to several percentage points of GDP for member states. The main beneficiaries include Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, France and Romania.