About this Study


The National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) were approved in the aftermath of COVID in 2021, well before the war in Ukraine and subsequent energy prices and cost of living crisis. The aim of the Recovery Facility is to provide a stimulus which would lift Member States’ economies out of the post-COVID slowdown, while boosting digitalisation and helping Member States to achieve the EU’s 2030 and 2050 climate goals.

The energy crisis acts as an additional driving force for pursuing the buildings-related reforms and investments planned in the NRRPs. As Commission President von der Leyen stated in October 2022, “faced with war, with a fossil fuel crisis, the arguments in favour of the Renovation Wave have only become more pressing. Investing in renovation is a no regret option.”

In 2021, the Renovate2Recover study found that amongst the 18 Member States’ NRRPs analysed, €39.9bn* was allocated buildings renovation (about 8% of total). This brief provides an update on progress after one year of implementation, and looks at the work which has begun to unlock buildings-related investment worth at least €28bn.

This briefing looks at which buildings-related measures were implemented, which targets and milestones were met, and what financial support was provided to Member States until the end of September 2022. There has been slow but steady progress on buildings-related measures led by reforms and entry into force of new financing programmes.

*This figure has been updated to approx. €46 bn across 18 MS with value for Italy increased from €8.6bn to €15.4bn (original value was based on a draft plan).

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