Money arrives, school buildings unchanged: The implementation gap of NextGenerationEU

According to France 24, the European Commission said that by the end of 2026, the 750 billion euro post-pandemic recovery plan "Next Generation EU" (NextGenerationEU), negotiated by EU member states in 2020, will have completed the actual disbursement of 634 billion euros. But when this money flows from Brussels's books to national budgets, there remains a long implementation chain before it can truly change the face of a school.

France 24 explained that the plan's core instrument, the "Recovery and Resilience Facility," is delivered through national plans negotiated between member states and the EU, injecting funds into each country in the form of grants and partial loans. Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, France and Romania are the main beneficiaries, receiving funds equivalent to several percentage points of their GDP. In other words, recovery funds are not distributed per capita, but are clearly tilted toward member states with larger economies and those hit harder by the pandemic.

The funds do not flow only to large countries. Belgium's recovery plan totals 5.3 billion euros, with more than half earmarked for the green transition. At the French-speaking Belgian government level, 149 school campuses have been listed for renovation, including the Athénée royal de Ganshoren in the Brussels-Capital Region. This middle school had triggered protests by students, parents and teachers a few years ago over its dilapidated facilities, demanding that work begin as soon as possible.

The renovation task remains enormous. France 24 stated bluntly that the French-speaking school building stock is "mostly outdated and energy-inefficient" (much of the French-speaking school building stock is still outdated and energy inefficient). In other words, sizable EU money, a special national plan and a clear list of school buildings have still failed to thoroughly alter the situation of daily users during the execution stage.

The 634 billion euro disbursement figure self-reported by the European Commission has not yet been independently audited in full; the emission reduction benefits of green transition funds and the actual completion schedules of school renovations in each member state have also not been disclosed in public reporting. Whether each tranche of funds can penetrate the budget process and be transformed into energy-efficient school buildings and usable public services ultimately depends on each country's own administrative machinery and political will—the very part that Brussels cannot "plan" through negotiation.