Commission greenlights Denmark’s final payment request of €359 million under NextGenerationEU

June 30, 2026 by The Sting's Team Leave a Comment

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. — (Credit: Unsplash)

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

Today, the Commission positively assessed Denmark’s fifth and final payment request for €359 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.

As the Commission’s flagship post-pandemic programme, the RRF supports Member States’ recovery, economic growth, and competitiveness. 

With this fifth and final payment request, Denmark becomes the first Member State to reach 100% of reforms and investments linked to its RRF plan – corresponding to €1.63 billion – ahead of the end of August deadline.

This marks a major milestone in the implementation of the RRF and shows Denmark’s commitment to delivering reforms and investments under its national recovery and resilience plan.

The Commission found that Denmark has satisfactorily completed the outstanding 4 milestones and 12 targetsset out in the Council Implementing Decision.

This final request completes the delivery of reforms and investments under the Danish plan, including in the areas of the green transition of agriculture, energy efficiency, sustainable road transport and increased digitalisation.

President Ursula Von der Leyen said: “Denmark has delivered. It is the first Member State to complete its NextGenerationEU recovery plan. More than 250,000 zero-emission cars are on the road, and thousands of homes have switched to clean heating and improved energy efficiency. Denmark is showing that the clean transition delivers real results for citizens and for Europe.”

Among the flagship measures supported under this payment request are:

Cutting CO2 emissions in transport by supporting reduced registration fees for more than 250,000 zero-emission cars between 2021 and 2025, alongside a reduced electricity tax for private households charging electric vehicles at home. These measures have contributed to a significant shift in Denmark’s vehicle fleet from combustion engines to electric vehicles.
Boosting energy efficiency through the replacement of oil burners or gas furnaces in nearly 28,000 households with heat pumps or district heating connections, as well as energy renovation works in more than 11,500 homes, including the installation of energy-efficient windows and improved insulation.
Strengthening skills for the green transition by supporting vocational education and training institutions. 48 schools received new equipment for future-oriented classrooms, 34 institutions upgraded teaching staff skills, and 25 institutions developed and tested courses tailored to specific professions.

Next steps

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

Background

Denmark submitted its payment request on 21 May 2026. The Danish recovery and resilience plan – underpinned by €1.63 billion in grants – includes a wide range of investment and reform measures supporting the resilience of the health system, the green transition of agriculture, energy efficiency in both private households, public buildings and the private sector, sustainable road transport, digitalisation of the public and private sector, research for the green transition and energy transition towards sustainable sources.

This payment will bring the total funds disbursed to Denmark under the RRF to €1.63 billion, including €441 million in pre-financing. This means that 100% of the funding allocated to Denmark under its recovery and resilience plan will be delivered once the Council has also greenlighted the payment request, with all 79 milestones and targets successfully fulfilled.

With a view to the closure of the Facility at the end of 2026, Member States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by 31 August 2026 and submit their last payment requests by the end of September 2026.

For more information

Commission’s preliminary assessment of Denmark’s fifth and last payment request

Denmark´s recovery and resilience plan

Recovery and Resilience Facility

Recovery and Resilience Facility project map

Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation

Recovery and Resilience Facility – questions and answers

EU as a borrower

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