Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, in a written answer on 22 June 2026, warned that any unused grant allocations under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will be permanently lost for the member state if milestones and targets are not met. He also clarified that borrowed funds under NextGenerationEU (NGEU) cannot be repurposed, and that any surplus borrowing will be held in a liquidity buffer to repay maturing debt, ensuring net issuance matches disbursements.
The answer responds to a priority question from Romanian MEP Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR), submitted on 7 May 2026, who raised concerns about the absorption of RRF funds and the financial implications of unutilised loans. Teodorescu specifically asked about procedures for unused grants and the fate of committed but unutilised loans.
Fitto's reply provides concrete details on the legal framework: unused grants are lost for the member state; borrowed funds cannot be used for other purposes; and the Commission relies on accurate member state forecasts to avoid over-borrowing. He also explained that NGEU repayment begins in 2028 and must be fully completed by 2058, with grant costs covered by the EU budget and loan costs borne by the borrowing member states.
the Commission is enforcing strict fiscal discipline and legal constraints, putting the onus on member states to deliver on their plans or risk losing funds. No new legislative proposals were announced, but the answer signals that the Commission will not relax rules or allow reallocation of unused funds. Institutional follow-up is likely to focus on improved forecasting and monitoring by member states, with potential implications for Romania's remaining disbursements under the RRF.