The European Commission is warning Spain for not having yet published the list of the 100 largest final beneficiaries of Next Generation EU funds, an obligation for all Member States as of this year. Half of the countries have already made their lists public, but 13 countries – including Spain – have yet to do so.
“We are addressing the Member States that have not yet sent the list, asking them to provide the information,” said European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Paolo Gentiloni on Monday, after being asked specifically about the Spanish government’s delay in a dialogue on the funds organised during a meeting with MEPs on the Budget and Economic Affairs Committees.
From 2023 onwards all countries must publish their lists twice a year and, although governments have some freedom to decide when they do so, Brussels recommended that the first version be given as early as April.
The Spanish government’s delay is also particularly striking as it is the most advanced in receiving the funds, as the government itself has highlighted on several occasions. It has already received three payments of 37 billion and is the only state to have unblocked a third payment.
Italy, the only country that can receive more money between loans and direct transfers than Spain, has already published its list. Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia have also done so. “The success of the larger schemes in countries like Spain or Italy is crucial for the very success of the instrument,” Gentiloni commented.
