A Court of Auditors report on the risk of delays and loss of Recovery and Resilience Fund resources has sounded a strong warning, having found systematic shortcomings in monitoring and violation of timetables.
The court sent recommendations to both the Special Coordination Service of the RRF and the implementing bodies of the audited sub-projects.
It warned that a potential accumulation of projects at the end of the implementation period entails the risk of their inefficient use and the emergence of irregularities. Moreover, implementation is already one year behind the initial schedule, as stated in the report, although this was subsequently revised, based on new data. The fourth request for grants was submitted last June, while the initial schedule provided for its submission in the second quarter of 2023. The fifth should have been submitted in the last quarter of 2023, a deadline that was moved, following the amendment of the relevant agreement with the European Commission for the last quarter of 2024. The request was finally submitted on December 20, within the revised schedule.
The report finds five main problems: insufficient timetables, inadequate implementation, understaffing of implementing agencies, limited interconnectivity, and delays in project maturity.