EU’s Recovery Fund Sputters: Over Half Left Unspent With Deadline Looming

Five years after the European Union rolled out a sweeping €650 billion recovery fund to counter the economic blow from COVID-19, just under half — only 49% — has actually been spent. With barely over a year until the August 31, 2026 deadline, this sluggish pace raises serious questions about Brussels’ ability to execute large-scale projects efficiently and responsibly. Is Bureaucratic Drag Undermining Economic Stability? Despite grand promises, the EU's cumbersome administrative machinery appears to be choking on its own complexity. While Brussels touts positive impacts like increased public investment growth from 3.2% in 2019 to an expected 3.8% in...