Europe: Member States’ Recovery Plans Miss out on Social Inclusion

The Recovery Funds should respond to the strategic priorities set out by the European Commission, including employment and fighting poverty. However, an initial assessment of the submitted draft national recovery plans suggests that they largely miss investment in social inclusion and social services reform, writes Alfonso Lara Montero.

Alfonso Lara Montero is the chief executive officer of European Social Network.

Nine months after European leaders agreed the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) of €672.5 billion to support the European economy after COVID-19, there are still 10 countries that have not yet ratified the RRF or submitted their recovery plans to the EU.

So far, 17 of the 27 EU member states have ratified the RRF, including France, Italy, and Spain. The Netherlands, Finland, Poland, and Austria are among those that have not yet ratified the process.

Meanwhile, the deadline for countries to bring their recovery plans to Brussels concludes on April 30, although the Commission has already assumed that some countries will not send their plans by then.

The process was bogged down until last week in the largest EU country, Germany. However, on April 21, the German Constitutional Court cleared the way to ratification of the RRF by rejecting the emergency appeal against its approval presented by a citizen initiative close to the far right.

Poland is currently one of the biggest concerns when it comes to ratification, fuelled by division over the funds in its governing coalition.

Countries planning to present their final programmes on time have expressed their frustration about the lengthy process. In addition, their national plans need to be approved by the Commission, a process that may...