Recovery and Resilience Facility

The RRF is the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU, the European Union's plan for recovering from the economic and social damage of the coronavirus crisis. Its aim is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions. The Facility is a temporary recovery instrument. It allows the Commission to raise funds to help Member States implement reforms and investments that are in line with the EU’s priorities and that address the challenges identified in country-specific recommendations under the European Semester framework of economic and social policy coordination. To benefit from the support of the Facility, Member States submit their recovery and resilience plans to the European Commission. Each plan sets out the reforms and investments to be implemented by end-2026 and Member States can receive financing up to a previously agreed allocation. RRF has six pillars: green transition; digital transformation; smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; social and territorial cohesion; health, and economic, social and institutional resilience; and policies for the next generation, children and the youth, such as education and skills.
Although the REGULATION (EU) 2021/241 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility does not have explicit mentions about the link between culture and health, these two fields are mentioned as important elements in building resilient societies after the Covid-19 pandemic: ”Reductions in spending on sectors, such as the education sector, cultural sector and creative sector, and on healthcare can prove counterproductive to achieving a swift recovery.” The facility included among its priority areas of intervention: the protection, development and promotion of cultural heritage and cultural services, but also measures for a healthy and well–adapted working environment addressing health risks, including promotion of physical activity or measures encouraging active and healthy ageing. The inclusion of both these fields in the Facility creates a fertile ground for encouraging synergies in practice. According to external research by the Culture Action Europe network and its members, 14 countries out of 26 (53% of the total) had included culture in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans by November 2021.