The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, expressed satisfaction today following the approval of the seventh payment request of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), stating that the process is “on schedule.”
“I would like you to join me in celebrating the fact that Portugal has today received the seventh payment request. All the milestones and targets of the seventh payment request were recognized as valid, and the payment is fully executed, which means we are on schedule,” said Castro Almeida during a parliamentary session in response to Liberal Initiative deputy Carlos Guimarães Pinto.
“We were already on schedule, and we received the seventh payment request. We will submit the eighth payment request on time to keep us on schedule,” he added.
The disbursement in question amounts to 1.064 billion euros, raising the global execution rate of the PRR to 47%.
In a statement, the European Commission indicated today that, following the assessment of the payment request, it concluded that Portugal satisfactorily met the 11 milestones and 16 targets of the Council’s Implementation Decision related to the seventh installment.
The measures linked to this payment request include the acquisition of medical equipment, support for vulnerable people at risk of social exclusion, new vehicles and equipment for firefighters, civil protection, and security forces, as well as publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations.
In parliament, the Minister of Economy also warned the state and municipalities to prepare “to live, from 2027 onwards, without PRR resources for investment and even without the human resources” hired for this purpose.
Following approval, the minister stated that the evaluation is “a clear sign that Portugal is transforming ambition into results” and that the European Commission’s confidence shows that the execution of the PRR is being carried out “well and with determination.”
Once this installment is approved by the Council, the funds paid to Portugal under the RRF will amount to 13.8 billion euros (including the 2.33 billion euros in pre-financing received in September 2021 and the pre-payment of 171 million euros under REPowerEU received on December 21, 2023).
Besides Portugal, Greece and Slovenia also saw their payment requests approved, totaling nearly four billion euros.
