The government’s economic staff is fighting a battle against time in order to meet the critical targets, milestones, and reforms of the Recovery Fund that amount to a total of 36 billion euros in additional resources for the Greek economy.

This is a marathon that is in full swing and is expected to be completed in mid-2026. It is a big gamble for Greece as it will have to claim the disbursement of an additional €18 billion out of the €18 billion it has already received from the national programme Greece 2.0 (Recovery Fund).

Both the funds that have been disbursed and those that will be claimed over the next 15 months are linked to strict timetables for implementing reforms in key sectors of the economy and society. From Education and Health to social protection, energy, industry, Justice, infrastructure, and taxation, these reforms can rapidly improve the level of services provided to citizens and significantly increase the competitiveness of the Greek economy.

The critical bet

The critical bet for the government’s economic staff is not to lose a single euro of the total European funds allocated to Greece and to implement in full the reforms of the Recovery Fund that will determine the country’s future for the coming years. The Ministry of Finance is closely monitoring the progress of the milestones, design, and implementation of the reforms, making interventions where deemed necessary to accelerate the overall project. These are moves aimed at accelerating the implementation of the 240 remaining milestones to complete the programme.

With the completion of the 5th tranche of the programme expected in the coming months, a total of more than €21 billion will have been received, and a further €15 billion will remain to be disbursed by mid-summer next year. The next six months will be a key period in this process. On the one hand, because in cooperation with the competent authorities of the European Commission, the acceleration of the programme will have been completed, and on the other hand, because during this period dozens of milestones and targets will have to be implemented, which will bring our country additional resources exceeding €9 billion through the 6th and 7th tranches of the programme. The rest will be claimed in the months remaining until its completion in mid-2026.

The request for the disbursement of the 6th tranche of €5 billion, according to the plan so far, is expected to be submitted by early summer. The corresponding one for the 7th tranche of €4.3 billion is expected to be submitted next October. The remaining funds up to €36 billion will be claimed in two additional tranches, with the last one set for June 2026.