Commission approves preliminary assessment of Belgium’s €909 million second payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Belgium’s second payment request for €909 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.

After reviewing the payment request submitted on 25 July 2024, the Commission has initially determined that Belgium has successfully completed the 38 milestones and 8 targets outlined in  the Council Implementing Decision for the second instalment.

13 reforms and 34 investments will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in the areas of digitalisation and connectivity, research and innovation, including for the green transition, energy renovation of buildings, greening of transport, education and inclusion, lifelong learning, environmental permitting procedures as well as sustainable agri-food chains, circular economy and spending reviews.

Flagship measures in this payment request include:

• Investment in rail infrastructure to support the modal shift: There are several milestones and targets in the second payment request which address growing mobility challenges in Belgium and facilitate the shift towards sustainable modes of transport. A key target concerns the improvement of rail infrastructure, marking the initial phase of a larger investment plan. Key actions include 27 interventions aimed at removing bottlenecks on the Brussels-Luxemburg line and adding over 6000 bicycle parking spaces in train stations in Flanders. As part of the target, works have also been completed to make five train stations across the three Regions accessible for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility.
• Introduction of 5G through auctions of the necessary spectrum bands and the adaptation of radiation standards: These actions are part of a broader reform to update the regulatory framework for high-speed connectivity. In 2021, Belgium’s 5G coverage was significantly behind EU average with only 4% of households covered compared to the EU average of 66%. Thanks to the reform, Belgium’s 5G coverage increased to 40% in 2023, as reported by the Commission’s DESI dashboard.

Next steps

The Commission will share its preliminary assessment of Belgium´s fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment with the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to deliver its opinion. The payment to Belgium can take place following the EFC’s opinion, and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission.

Background

Belgium’s recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures. The plan will be financed by €5 billion in grants and €244 million in loans.

You can find more information on Belgium’s Recovery and Resilience plan on this page, which features an interactive map of projects financed by the RRF, as well as on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. More information on the process of payment requests under the RRF can be found in this document of questions and answers.