The Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) is the largest pot of money the European Union has ever set up, with Ireland allocated just under €1 billion.

Until 2026, over €700 billion will be available to member states to help revive the European economy after the pandemic and is tied to ambitious plans and reforms.

But what's really happening to that money? And who is keeping track of it?

In 2022, Noteworthy joined with journalists from across Europe as part of the Recovery Files - a project led by Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money.

Even before a penny was spent, Follow the Money pointed out the fund’s weaknesses: the faltering democratic process, gaps in its oversight, insufficient transparency and dubious lobbying influence in some states.

HELP US INVESTIGATE

As part of this project, journalists from Noteworthy want to map the Irish beneficiaries to find out if money is ending up in the right places and conditions are being met.

We will also dive into the milestones that Ireland committed to meet and ask if the European Commission can keep its promise that public money will be spent appropriately.

IRISH WORK

• January 2023: Cash for reforms: €700 billion EU recovery fund sparks concern and criticism - Analysis finds that Ireland is among several member states who repackaged old promises in reform plans.

If you want to make a contribution to help fund our Irish contribution to this investigation, click the 'Fund This Proposal' button. Noteworthy investigations are sourced from and crowdfunded by the public.

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