The disbursement of €19 billion ($20.5 billion) in pandemic recovery aid to Italy has been delayed by the European Commission due to concerns about whether the Italian government will be able to achieve the targets required to receive the funding. The European Union has earmarked €192 billion for reforms and investments in Italy, but the disbursement of this money is contingent on the country meeting specific milestones and goals. The commission is particularly concerned about Italy's progress in licensing port activities, district heating, and two urban renewal projects, which are tied to the December 2022 installment of the plan. To allow for further technical sampling and verification activities, the assessment phase has been extended by a month.
The Italian government said in a statement that significant progress has been made toward most objectives, and it will continue to collaborate with the EU on the assessment. Despite having already received €67 billion, Italy has struggled to allocate and spend the funds as quickly as planned due to bureaucratic hurdles. In addition, Giorgia Meloni's government plans to defer and reassign some of the future targets in response to the energy crisis.