Around 20% of the investment budget contracted through the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) is made up of loan disbursements which, according to the latest figures, do not exceed €2.3 billion.
These are loans from the fund and banks, for a total of 11.1 billion euros, the budget of the investment projects approved so far, revealing a significant gap between the projects contracted and the funds that were channeled into the Economy. through the loan mechanism.
Data presented by Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanassis shows that the number of investment proposals submitted on the GoBeyond platform amounts to 700 projects, with a total budget of 24.2 billion euros. Of this amount, 10 billion euros correspond to FRR loans, 8.2 billion euros to bank loans and 6 billion euros to company equity.
Despite the large number of investment projects submitted, the loan contracts signed are well below half, since they number around 287 and their total budget amounts to 11.15 billion euros. Of these, €4.7 billion are FRR loans, €3.8 billion are bank loans, while a further €2.6 billion relate to company equity.
The pressing deadline for absorbing FRR resources, that is to say until August 2026, does not allow for complacency. According to banking sources, “the slow absorption of the FRR reflects general problems in the country’s legal and investment environment” and the causes of the delays are linked to the lack of “mature projects” and the inability to carry out the required projects. studies.
The problem is more acute when permissions are required from agencies such as archaeology, planning or regional authorities. The issue of licenses is essential, given the strong participation of the tourism sector in the use of FRR loans, whose companies represent 28% of investment projects having received loans and 13% of loan contracts signed.
Geopolitical unrest and difficulties in international trade also make conditions more complex for various industries.
