Ireland has submitted its fourth payment request under the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), seeking approximately €249 million to support key reforms and investments. The announcement was made by Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, marking another step in the country’s implementation of its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Ireland is set to receive a total of €1.15 billion under the RRF, which forms the central pillar of the EU’s broader recovery initiative, NextGenerationEU.
The RRF allocation is distributed in five instalments and is performance-based, meaning that funds are released only after agreed milestones and targets are successfully achieved. Ireland has already received three payments, representing around 60 percent of its total allocation. If the fourth request is approved, the country will have completed 80 percent of its milestones and targets and drawn down 80 percent of its total funding envelope.
The current payment request relates to eight milestones and targets covering a range of strategic investments and reforms. These include infrastructure projects such as extending the platform at Cork’s Kent Station to facilitate future rail electrification and constructing a Government data centre. The request also encompasses digital health initiatives aimed at modernising Ireland’s healthcare system, skills development programmes to support workforce reskilling and upskilling, and funding to strengthen capacity within technological universities. Additionally, the request includes reforms in offshore renewable electricity to accelerate the development and uptake of offshore renewable energy sources.
The RRF was established to help EU Member States address the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while strengthening resilience against future shocks. It finances reforms and investments implemented from February 2020 through August 2026, with national plans required to dedicate at least 37 percent of funding to green measures and 20 percent to digital initiatives. Ireland’s revised NRRP now comprises 10 reforms and 18 investments, supported by 98 associated milestones and targets, reinforcing the country’s commitment to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery.
