WORLD / EUROPE
EU endorses Berlin, Rome, Riga’s post-pandemic recovery plans
Published: Jun 23, 2021 06:18 PM
Tourists take selfie in the old city of Toledo, Spain, Sept. 22, 2020. Tourism in Toledo has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Xinhua)

Tourists take selfie in the old city of Toledo, Spain, Sept. 22, 2020. Tourism in Toledo has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Xinhua)



European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced EU's endorsement to three member states' post-pandemic recovery plan during her tour in Rome, Berlin and Riga on Tuesday.

In Italy, Von der Leyen met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and tweeted that Italy will receive the largest share from the "NextGenerationEU," the bloc's 750 billion euro ($900 billion) recovery instrument.

According to the Commission, Italy will receive 191.5 billion euros from EU, including 68.9 billion euros in grants and 122.6 billion euros in loans.

On the same day, Von der Leyen said in Berlin, where the German plan's endorsement was announced, the plan would earmark "substantial means" for the digitalization of the public administration and healthcare sectors in the country.

"We will put our money into hydrogen, microelectronics, cloud and data processing," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Von der Leyen also visited Riga on Tuesday, announcing the endorsement of Latvia's recovery plan.

In 2020, EU leaders agreed on the recovery fund to address the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.