On 13 July 2026, the Council published a proposal for an implementing decision amending the approval of Romania's recovery and resilience plan (RRP), following a reasoned request from Romania on 24 June 2026. The amendments modify 94 measures, remove three, and add four new ones, while reducing the loan component and slightly lowering the climate contribution.
The proposal, which updates the Council Implementing Decision of 29 October 2021, responds to Romania's argument that certain measures are no longer achievable due to objective circumstances. Three measures are removed entirely: C6.I4 (contractor withdrawal), C16.I4a (delays), and C8.I7 (delays). Twenty-three measures are partially amended due to unforeseen delays or insufficient demand, and 68 are amended to reduce administrative burden. The freed-up resources fund four new measures (C4.I1a, C4.I5, C6.I2a, C16.I7a) and increase implementation of two existing measures (C8.I11, C16.I4).
The climate contribution drops from 40.6% to 39.1% of total allocation, while the digital contribution rises from 21.3% to 24.0%. The total estimated cost of the RRP stands at EUR 20,106,860,700, with the financial contribution unchanged at EUR 13,566,055,514. However, the loan support is reduced from EUR 7,844,472,079 to EUR 6,540,805,186, following a previous reduction of EUR 10,772,581 in a 2024 decision. The Annex to the 29 October 2021 Implementing Decision is replaced entirely.
Policy orientations and trade-offs The amendments reflect a trade-off between maintaining the plan's overall ambition and adapting to practical implementation challenges. The reduction in climate contribution (from 40.6% to 39.1%) may disappoint environmental stakeholders, while the increase in digital contribution (from 21.3% to 24.0%) aligns with EU digital priorities. The lower loan ceiling reduces Romania's debt burden but also limits the scale of investment financed through loans.
Impact on stakeholders - Romanian authorities: Benefit from reduced administrative burden and more realistic targets, but face a lower loan envelope and must implement four new measures. - EU institutions: The Council maintains the positive assessment of the plan, ensuring continued disbursement of grants, while the reduced loan component may affect the overall fiscal impact. - Romanian businesses and contractors: Some contractors affected by removed or amended measures may lose contracts, while new measures create opportunities in areas such as digitalisation and infrastructure. - Environmental NGOs: The slight drop in climate contribution may be seen as a step back from the original green ambition, though the plan still allocates significant funds to climate objectives.
Institutional follow-up The proposal will be adopted by the Council as an implementing decision, likely after a brief review period. No further legislative steps are required, as the amending decision falls under the Council's implementing powers. The European Commission had already assessed Romania's request and proposed the amendments, which the Council now formally approves.