WIREDGOV

The European Commission yesterday endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Slovakia's first payment request for €398.7 million in grants (net of pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU.

On 29 April, Slovakia submitted to the Commission a payment request based on the achievement of the 14 milestones selected in the Council Implementing Decision for the first instalment. They cover reforms of the judicial system and in the areas of higher education, the fiscal framework, the energy system, sustainable mobility, anti-corruption, the digitalisation of the public sector, as well as Slovakia's audit and control system for the implementation of the RRF.

With their request, the Slovak authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the fulfilment of the 14 milestones. The Commission has thoroughly assessed this information before presenting its positive preliminary assessment of the payment request.

The Slovak recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures in 18 thematic components. It is worth €6.3 billion in grants, 13% of which (€822.7 million) was disbursed to Slovakia in pre-financing on 13 October 2021. The overall amount of the first payment request, including the earlier pre-financing, totals €458.3 million.

Payments under the RRF are performance-based and contingent on Member States implementing the investments and reforms outlined in their respective recovery and resilience plans.

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