Commission greenlights Belgium’s fourth payment request for €567 million under NextGenerationEU

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

Today, the European Commission positively assessed Belgium’s fourth payment request for €567 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility  (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.

This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments tied to this payment request, in the areas of green and digital transitions, mobility, education and training, as well as housing.

The Commission found that Belgium has satisfactorily completed 16 milestones and 11 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.

Flagship measures in this payment request include:

Projects to restore ecological connectivity: Across the Flemish Region, seven infrastructure projects have been completed to reconnect fragmented natural areas. These include three ecoducts, one eco-valley, a wildlife crossing guiding animals safely beneath the road, two viaducts adapted for shared use by people and wildlife, and a wildlife detection system.

Reforms to accelerate the energy transition: The Walloon Region has introduced key reforms to speed up the deployment of renewable energy while safeguarding nature. New rules streamline environmental assessment procedures for renewable energy projects located in designated ‘renewables acceleration areas’, revise planning requirements for wind farms, and recognise renewable energy as an overriding public interest. In addition, as of 2026, new measures will prevent the installation of coal or oil-fired heating systems in new buildings, supporting a shift towards cleaner energy use.

Next steps

The Commission has now sent its preliminary assessment of Belgium’s fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to 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 later.

Background

Belgium submitted its payment request on 19 December 2025. Belgium’s recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures to support green, digital and social objectives, such as renovation of private homes, social housing and public buildings, digitalisation of public administrations, investments in public transport, electric driving and bike infrastructure, as well as the construction and equipment of education training centers. The Belgian plan is financed by €5 billion in grants and €230 million in loans under the RRF.

Today’s payment request would bring the funds paid out to Belgium under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to €3.64 billion, including €915 million in pre-financing. This amount corresponds to 69% of all funds included in the Belgian recovery and resilience plan, with 59% of all milestones and targets in the plan now 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 final payment requests by the end of September 2026.

For more information

Commission’s preliminary assessment of Belgium’s fourth payment request 

Belgium’s recovery and resilience plan

Recovery and Resilience Facility

Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation

Recovery and Resilience Facility project map

Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

Questions and answers on the RRF payment claim process

EU as a borrower