Greece has submitted a combined €1.63 billion disbursement request from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, bringing the country within one payment cycle of completing the fund.
Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis filed the dual request, which covers the 8th installment under the grants component and the 7th under the loans component, encompassing a total of 34 milestones and targets.
The submission follows the full absorption of Greece’s pre-financing allocation under the RRF, the EU fund established to help member states accelerate green and digital transitions and strengthen economic resilience.
Milestones covered
The 32 milestones tied to the grants request span healthcare, employment, digital transformation, and infrastructure. In healthcare, the government completed renovations across 19 hospitals, upgraded 40 primary health centers with chronic disease management units, and launched eight home care pilot units with telemedicine infrastructure in Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Ioannina, Heraklion, Patras, and Larissa. Pharmaceutical clawback spending, a rebate mechanism under which drug companies return excess costs to the state, was reduced by €300 million compared to 2020 levels.
On employment, 36,000 unemployed individuals were placed in private sector jobs. Fifty social housing units in Athens and Thessaloniki were renovated and allocated to vulnerable families. A social counterpart framework was established to leverage public assets for affordable housing. Some 225,000 civil servants received training and certification in new skills.
Digital reform milestones include the near-completion of a nationwide property cadastre, or land registry, which now covers more than 98% of the country. Greece also completed the establishment of AI Pharos, a data and artificial intelligence hub, and digitized asylum and migration procedures.
Infrastructure milestones include the approval of a multi-year rail investment program, seismic assessments of more than 20,000 public buildings, and the creation of a regulatory framework for energy storage and hybrid renewable energy projects.
The two milestones under the loans request relate to the contracting of €11.5 billion in RRF loan resources and the establishment of investment vehicles channeling €600 million in RRF loans through the Hellenic Development Bank alongside private capital for venture capital investments.
Closing stretch
With this submission, Greece has completed 112 of the 130 total reform milestones in its national recovery plan, a completion rate of 86.15%, according to Minister of State Akis Skertsos.
“We are working at the same pace and with the same determination to fulfill the remaining reforms of the 9th and final request, towards a more inclusive society with fewer inequalities,” Skertsos said.
Governor of the Greek Recovery and Resilience Agency Orestis Kavalakis said preparations are underway for a final disbursement request in September 2026, which would mark the full utilization of the fund’s resources.
Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Papathanasis framed the submission as a demonstration of institutional reliability. “We said not a euro would be lost, and not a euro will be lost,” he said. “We are honoring our commitments, and we are honoring them with actions.”
Source: tovima.com
