Governing the RRF

Policy Study

Drafting, implementing, and monitoring NRRP as an interactive multilevel process

In addition to its remarkable financial envelope, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) also marks an important qualitative step forward in EU governance, as it introduces a new “demand-driven and performance-based” governance design. The RRF introduces a number of novelties compared to existing EU economic governance and ensures a better link between investments and reforms, thus putting meat on the bones of the Semester’s country-specific recommendations (CSRs). As such, it acts as an amplifier of economic transitions in member states and is generally considered to be a game changer in terms of impact.

This study assesses the effectiveness and legitimacy of the RRF’s design, by analysing its practical functioning during the drafting, implementation and monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) in eight member states (Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain). More specifically, it looks at the extent to which governments took ownership of the plans, the inclusivity of their drafting and the role of the Commission in steering the process. On implementation and monitoring, the authors assess how RRF governance has affected domestic policy-making; what obstacles have arisen in the implementation process and how monitoring by the Commission works in practice, with particular attention to its interpretive flexibility and administrative load. The study is based on extensive documentary analysis and supporting interviews with key officials involved in drafting, implementing and monitoring the plans. 

This policy study is part of the Recovery Watch series of publications. The Recovery Watch is a research that monitors the Recovery and Resilience Facility and assesses its social impact in different countries. Led by FEPS, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Institut Emile Vandervelde (IEV), in collaboration with several first-rate research organisations.