The European Commission announced today (Wednesday) its positive preliminary assessment of Greece's 4th payment request for the €1 billion Recovery Fund grant tranche.

The payment request for the grant component was submitted in early June and related to the achievement of 20 milestones and targets of the Greek plan. These included, among others, the contracting of projects such as the electrical interconnection of the Cyclades, the renovation of OAKA, the Anti-nero I and II forest protection programs, the improvement of road safety in the road network of municipalities and regions, the upgrading of the safety of the 13 regional airports, as well as reforms such as the codification of the Income Tax Code and the Tax Procedure Code and the upgrading of the justice system.

According to the relevant regulation, the Economic and Financial Committee will provide its opinion within four weeks after receiving the European Commission's favorable assessment. The adoption of the final decision regarding the disbursement of the €1 billion will come after this.

It should be noted that 794 projects and project packages, with a budget of more than €22 billion, have been implemented to date under the grant component of the Recovery Fund. Of this amount, 7.8 billion is for green transition projects, 2.5 billion for digital transformation actions, 5.7 billion for actions to boost employment, skills, and social cohesion, and 6.1 billion for private investment and the transformation of the economy.

STATEMENTS

Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Nikos Papathanasis, said: "The new positive assessment for the disbursement of €1 billion from the grant component of the Recovery and Resilience Fund did not succeed; it succeeded. It is the result of the achievement of the required milestones after continuous and determined work by every stakeholder. With the same seriousness and discipline in the reform objectives and the same commitment to our commitments to our fellow citizens, we continue to keep Greece among the first countries in terms of disbursements of the Recovery Fund so that European resources become a catalyst for the country's growth prospects. With the same consistency, we are creating new and more jobs, increasing disposable income for all."

The Governor of the Recovery Fund, Orestis Kavalakis, said: "Today's positive assessment by the European Commission on the request for payment of the Recovery Fund's grants comes to reaffirm the steady progress in implementing the targets and milestones that we have ahead of us. With the disbursement of the 1 billion of grants, we will have disbursed more than 50% of the funds allocated to the country. With speed and efficiency, we are implementing projects and promoting reforms that boost the growth of the economy and improve the daily lives of citizens.".