Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, in a written answer on 16 July 2026, rejected calls to extend the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) deadline for Italian social housing energy efficiency projects, stating that all milestones and targets must be met by 31 August 2026 and final payments by 31 December 2026. The answer, responding to a parliamentary question from MEPs Danilo Della Valle, Dario Tamburrano, Leoluca Orlando, and Brando Benifei, clarifies that the concept of 'unused funds' does not apply under the RRF Regulation, as support is strictly conditional on satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets within the set deadlines.
The question had highlighted that Measure M.7-I.17 of Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), aimed at helping vulnerable groups in social housing, faces delays due to material price spikes from the April 2026 Iran-US conflict and procedural complexities. The MEPs argued these qualify as 'objective circumstances' under Article 21 of the RRF Regulation and requested an 18-month extension, price adjustment measures, and assurances that reallocation of residual funds would not undermine REPowerEU objectives.
Dombrovskis noted that the Commission maintains a continuous dialogue with Italian authorities on the measure. He pointed out that Member States may request amendment or replacement of a measure if it becomes unachievable due to objective circumstances, but such requests were expected by the end of May 2026, as per the Commission's closure guidelines. The answer thus offers no new flexibility, effectively closing the door on extensions for the social housing projects. The policy orientation is strict adherence to the RRF timeline, prioritising fiscal discipline over accommodating unforeseen shocks. Institutional follow-up is limited to ongoing bilateral discussions, with no signal of future rule changes.