The European Court of Auditors states that EU countries have only partially addressed problems in the business climate. The recovery fund was originally set up to mitigate the economic consequences of the pandemic, but so far reforms and investments have produced limited results.
The corona recovery fund is filled with about 650 billion euros. EU countries can draw on it in exchange for commitments to implement structural reforms aimed at addressing country-specific economic problems.
Of the 82 recommendations made by Brussels to member states to improve the business climate, none have been fully implemented. A significant portion was only marginally or not addressed at all, leaving existing bottlenecks in place.
Critics say that EU countries have barely taken EU recommendations into consideration and primarily used the money for self-proposed projects.
The Court of Auditors concludes that the measures contribute to demonstrable progress in the business climate in only half of the examined cases. Although some reforms have already led to new laws, the number of concrete improvements remains small.
Only about a third of the completed measures show clear results so far, and it may take years before effects become visible.
The total budget for business climate measures within the recovery fund amounts to 109 billion euros. Still, the potential of this support has not yet been fully utilized. According to the Court of Auditors, progress in many sectors remains limited and uneven.
Most reforms are delayed. More than a quarter of the measures were not completed by April 2025. There is a strict deadline for implementation: all planned measures must be completed by the end of August 2026.
Since in Brussels all attention is now focused on building and expanding the defense industry and strengthening economic autonomy, increasing voices call for transferring the unpaid corona subsidies to Defense and Autonomy.