As part of a wide-ranging response, the aim of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.
Currently, most National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) are approved and implementation is underway in the Member States.
According to the Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation, the European Parliament (EP) has an important role in the monitoring of the implementation of the Facility. It is for this reason that the Conference of Presidents has established an EP Working Group on the monitoring of the RRF. In this regard, the EPP Group in the European Parliament together with the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions organised a "Road to Recovery" conference debate in Zagreb on the 27th of February.
"Regional and local authorities in Croatia are not only necessary partners in the negotiation for national Recovery and Resilience Plan and key actors for its successful implementation. This is what citizens care about the most. We are proud to have involved local authorities as this was the guarantee to success and has strengthened citizens' trust in the EU." said Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia made these remarks when addressing the conference 'Road to Recovery' organized by the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions (EPP-CoR) and the EPP Group in the European Parliament (EPP-EP) in Zagreb.
Olgierd Geblewicz President of West Pomerania Region and President of the EPP-CoR Group highlighted that: "The RRF is an ambitious solution enabling Europe to emerge stronger from the crisis and accelerate its green and digital transformation. This unique opportunity for modernization cannot be seized without the real participation of all relevant stakeholders, especially without regional and local authorities having competences in all six pillars of the RRF. It is a guarantee to effectively achieve its objectives. Congratulations on Croatia's success in the implementation of recovery plans. It is a best practice example to be followed by other member states.
Siegfried Mureșan MEP, Vice-Chair of the EPP-EP Group and Chairman of the Working Group for Budget and Structural Policies added that " The Recovery and Resilience Facility embodies European solidarity at its best. It is money from the people of Europe to the people of Europe. The Road to Recovery event in Zagreb took stock of the implementation of the Recovery Plan in Croatia together with EPP local and regional representatives. We saw on the ground with our EPP colleagues how the Recovery Fund contributes to local and regional growth, creates quality jobs and improves the life of Croatian citizens. We believe that we can use the example of the Croatian Recovery Plan to promote best practices across the EU and to ensure that the Recovery Fund is a success."
Dubravka Šuica, Vice-president of the EU Commission for Democracy and Demography, emphasised the uniqueness of the Reconstruction and Resilience Facility (RRF), not only for Croatia but also from a European perspective : "With grants amounting to 9% of Croatia's GDP, it is certainly a great success for our country. However, it is at least equally noteworthy that the fund marks the first time in history that the EU has borrowed on the capital markets to secure such financing." Concerning the project implementation, Dubravka highlighted positively that "a strong governance structure, consisting of an audit and control system along with several bodies in charge of preventing corruption and fraud, has been put in place" while "districts, cities, and municipalities guarantee a focus on local and territorial involvement". Finally, concrete reform areas were listed, ranging from "a green, digital, and demographic transition" to "infrastructure, social welfare, competitiveness, education, and democracy".
Karlo Ressler, Member of the European Parliament and EPP Vice-Coordinator for Budgets noted that: "The Recovery and Resilience Facility presents a unique historical opportunity for Croatia on all levels of government, with almost 9,6 billion euros, out of which 6 billion are non-repayable grants. Excellent progress has been made at local and regional level across Croatia, from infrastructural projects to green and digital investments. If we want to remain relevant, we have to continue using those resources wisely, especially in areas where we can see the direct and tangible benefits for the entire economy."
ŽeljkoTurk, Chairman of the Association of Cities and Mayor of Zaprešić said that the "Dialogue with citizens about the use of European Funds represents the best communication tool to strengthen trust and reinforce the European project.
Ivan Žagar, Mayor of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica highlighted the different approaches of Croatia and Slovenia when involving the local and regional authorities in the RRF process. "In the triangle of the EU, national level, regional-local level, local and regional authorities should be more involved and taken into account in terms of a partnership relationship. The principle of subsidiarity and multi-level governance should be fully respected."