The EU Commission has given the “green light” to the revised Greek Recovery Plan, and Athens is now preparing to submit the request for the disbursement of the 6th tranche, amounting to 3.9 billion euros, in the immediate future.
In the autumn, as the Recovery Fund will have less than a year left until completion, the European Commission plans to return with a revision for all member states.
The amendments to “Greece 2.0”, as emphasized by the European Commission, concern 108 measures that are not feasible to implement either fully or partially for various reasons such as delays related to public procurement procedures, inability to fulfill measures partially or in full due to lower than expected demand or with the aim of implementing better alternative solutions, in order to achieve the initial ambition of each measure.
The revised Greece 2.0
The revised “Greece 2.0” added projects related to the safety and upgrading of citizens’ movements, such as the comprehensive upgrade of the safety infrastructure of the ten largest railway tunnels of the Hellenic Railways (OSE) using smart systems, the creation of smart crossings in school units and the development of autonomous smart lighting networks on road axes under the supervision of the 13 Regions of the country, as well as the procurement of an additional 175 electric buses in Athens and Thessaloniki. Digital services in the public health sector are being strengthened with the proposal of a project to expand the digital infrastructure of the health system, to facilitate and simplify daily procedures. Moreover, the implementation of the Unified Digital Map is being expanded, with the addition of the system for recording unauthorized construction via satellites and drones.
According to Alternate Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis, the government’s goal is for Greece to have applied for and received 80% of the Recovery Fund’s resources by the end of the year.
Greece has so far received 59.4% of the resources it is entitled to from the Fund, which corresponds to 18.2 billion euros. Upon the submission of the 6th request and its disbursement, Greece will have received 71% of the total resources, while it plans to submit the 7th request in November for another 3.5 billion euros.
