Questions and Answers on France's disbursement request under NextGenerationEU
QandA France's disbursement request under NextGenerationEU
How did the Commission assess France's second payment request?
The Commission has today endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of France's payment request for €10.3 billion of grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU.
On 31 July 2023, France submitted to the Commission a payment request based on the achievement of the 55 milestones and targets selected in the Council Implementing Decision for the second instalment. They cover investments in the areas of energy renovation of public and private buildings, decarbonisation of industry, support to railways, digital connectivity, and support to employment and training, notably for youth. The payment request also includes a set of reforms in the areas of public employment services, energy performance of buildings, circular economy, and research.
With their request, the French authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the fulfilment of the 55 milestones and targets. The Commission has thoroughly assessed this information before presenting its positive preliminary assessment of the payment request.
What are the next steps?
The Commission has now sent the positive preliminary assessment of France's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), asking for its opinion.
The EFC's opinion, to be delivered within maximum four weeks, should be taken into account in the Commission's assessment. The Commission will adopt the decision on the disbursement of the financial contribution, in accordance with the examination procedure, through a comitology committee. Following the adoption of this decision by the Commission, the disbursement to France would take place.
The amounts disbursed to the Member States will be published in the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. The Commission has also shared its positive preliminary assessment with the European Parliament.
How do the milestones and targets achieved by France so far effectively support the green transition?
The green transition is supported by specific reforms, including the adoption of the Law on Climate and Resilience covering a set of environmental and climate measures to contribute to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target for 2030, the adoption of the implementing acts on the circular economy that aim to tackle waste and promote a sustainable economy, as well as the revision of the Thermal Regulation aimed at adjusting and adapting thermal rules for new buildings.
In the area of energy renovation, by mid-2023 more than 700,000 households had received a “MaPrimRenov'” subsidy to renovate their homes and 40,000 social housing units were being renovated with high energy efficiency gains. The French Plan also supports the greening of transport. By mid-2023, more than 200,000 ecological bonuses had been granted to buy clean vehicles and 863 km of railways were regenerated. Finally, authorities launched 17 calls under the future-oriented investment programme (Programme d'investissements d'avenir - PIA4) to accelerate investments in advanced technologies for the green transition.
How do the milestones and targets achieved by France so far effectively contribute to the digital transition?
In support of the digital transition, 3,320 companies have received support to digitalise their production processes, 45,000 school classes have been equipped with digital resources, more than 1.7 million additional households and businesses premises have been connected to high-speed broadband in 2021 and 3,600 digital inclusion advisers have been trained and deployed on the territory.
How do the milestones and targets achieved by France so far contribute to improving France's economic and social situation, and its resilience?
France successfully implemented two additional milestones related to the assessment of the quality of public spending. This will contribute to improving the efficiency and sustainability of public spending, with public resources being allocated in a way that effectively promotes growth, social inclusion, as well as the green and digital transitions. The reforms on the national employment agency (Pôle Emploi) also entered into force. This will improve the individual support provided to jobseekers, including an easier access to employment for persons with disabilities and an enhanced guidance through the set-up of compensation counsellors within the employment agencies.
Several targets concerning employment and skills were also met, in particular related to young people. For example, 130,000 young people received personalised guidance towards employment and autonomy. France also created 30,000 new places in higher education. The resilience of the healthcare and long-term care systems will also be improved thanks to the renovation of 3,000 nursing homes for the dependent elderly.
Does the achievement of these milestones and targets contribute to an effective implementation of the Plan?
The milestones and targets fulfilled constitute significant steps in the implementation of France's recovery and resilience plan, and of its broader reform agenda. They include important measures, such as reforms in the governance of public finances and the assessment of public spending, the adoption of legislation on climate change and the circular economy to decarbonise its industry, as well as investments in railway infrastructure and the renovation of public buildings.
For More Information
Preliminary assessment of France's 2nd payment request
Press release on €5.1 billion in pre-financing to France
Question and Answers on France's recovery and resilience plan
Factsheet on France's recovery and resilience plan
Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision
Annex to the Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision
Recovery and Resilience Facility
Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard
Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation
Question and Answers on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
