Measures and Investments: what's new in PNRR

Translated by Andrea Solazzo

Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) envisages investments of EUR 191.5 billion, divided into six key areas: digital transformation, innovation, competitiveness and culture (EUR 40.32 billion); green revolution and ecological transition (EUR 59.47 billion); infrastructure for sustainable mobility (EUR 25.40 billion); education and research (EUR 30.88 billion); inclusion and cohesion (EUR 19.81 billion); health (EUR 15.63 billion). The government also approved a Complementary National Plan (CNP) with an additional EUR 30.6 billion, bringing the total investment to EUR 222.1 billion.

The Plan also includes an ambitious programme of reforms, focusing on public administration, justice, simplification and competitiveness. In this context, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy manages 11 investment projects and one reform project, with the aim of implementing EU recommendations and strengthening the country's economic growth. The resources allocated to the Ministry amount to EUR 27.328 billion, including CNP funds. In the “Digitisation, Innovation, Competitiveness, Culture and Tourism” mission, EUR 21.528 billion is allocated to support strategic investments, innovative projects and the space sector, as well as to promote industrial property reform. In addition, the mission “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” provides EUR 1.25 billion to develop renewable energies, to increase climate resilience and to promote sustainable public transport. For the “Education and Research” mission, EUR 2.35 billion is allocated to develop research and innovation, facilitating interaction between the academic and productive worlds. Finally, the “Inclusion and Cohesion” mission provides EUR 400 million to promote female entrepreneurship. The CNP, established in 2021 by a decree, integrates the NRRP with additional national funds, set aside for already planned projects and new investments to achieve the plan's objectives. The main CNP interventions managed by MIMIT include the “Polis” project (EUR 800 million) and “Agreements for Innovation” (EUR 1 billion), as well as the co-financing of “Transition 4.0” and space projects.

The European Commission released on 3 June a new set of guidelines for the implementation of recovery and resilience plans, introducing concrete strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the programme. This update, announced through a press release, comes from the decisions taken at the April European Council, with the aim of improving the implementation of the NRRP through practical solutions. Among the main changes is a dedicated reduction of administrative tasks, while preserving high levels of intent and transparency. The European Commission emphasises that member states will be able to request changes to specific targets or objectives if they identify simpler and/or alternative approaches. The new guidelines also promote integration between the Recovery Fund and other EU funds, avoiding overlapping funding as requested by the European Parliament and various stakeholders.

In addition, the document details the process of revising the NRRP to transfer additional resources from the Recovery Fund to InvestEU, thus supporting the Strategic Technology Platform for Europe (STEP) following the March 2024 coming into force. The new guidelines also include a legislative framework for the reduction and recovery of funds in case of damage to the Union's financial interests not resolved by the Member States. These guidelines update those published in January 2021 and replace those of March 2023, except for the parts related to RePowerEU.

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