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European Commission - Press release Commission greenlights Lithuania's sixth payment request for €178 million under NextGenerationEU Brussels, 18 May 2026 Today, the European Commission positively assessed Lithuania's sixth payment request for €178 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility , the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. This is an important step related to the delivery of reforms and invest...
European Commission - Press release Commission greenlights Lithuania's sixth payment request for €178 million under NextGenerationEU Brussels, 18 May 2026 Today, the European Commission positively assessed Lithuania's sixth payment request for €178 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility , the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. This is an important step related to the delivery of reforms and investments tied to this payment request, aimed at enhancing digitalisation, transparency and efficiency in Lithuania's public sector. It includes important reform elements, including legislative updates to improve the adequacy of the minimum income scheme benefiting the most vulnerable groups of Lithuania's population, and the requirement to publish forward-looking electricity grid capacity data. It also covers the rollout of key digital tools and systems, such as a repository supporting the state data management model, a remote learning platform for civil servants and advanced tax and customs analytics, alongside sectoral improvements in areas such as building renovation, monitoring the quality of healthcare services and cultural accessibility for people with disabilities. The Commission found that Lithuania has satisfactorily completed ten milestones and eight targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision. Flagship measures in this payment request include: Monitoring of healthcare service quality through a public dashboard: A digital health system display panel enables the monitoring of healthcare service quality by making key performance indicators publicly accessible. This ensures transparency and accountability by providing an open, user-friendly dashboard that allows stakeholders and the public to track and assess the quality of health services provided in Lithuania. Major steps forward in strengthening Lithuania's social protection system: Lithuania's reforms strengthen the adequacy of social benefits and broadens the coverage of the social protection system. The country implements key recommendations from the minimum income adequacy study by reforming the indexation system for social benefits, increasing minimum benefit levels, widening access to support, improving work incentives and enhancing the assessment of eligibility. A key improvement is the introduction of a new indexation system linking social benefits to both living costs and wage growth, helping to ensure that benefits remain adequate and responsive to changing economic conditions. Progress has also been made in related areas, including higher minimum maternity, paternity and childcare benefits, as well as higher child maintenance benefits, stronger social assistance pensions, expanded access to child support, the removal of minimum working-time requirements, and revised asset thresholds. Taken together, these reforms mark an important step towards a more inclusive and responsive social protection system in Lithuania. Next steps The Commission has sent its positive preliminary assessment of Lithuania's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Council's Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) , which has four weeks to deliver its opinion. The payment to Lithuania can take place following the EFC's opinion, and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission later. Background Lithuania submitted its sixth payment request on 31 March 2026. Lithuania's recovery and resilience plan sets out wide-ranging investments and reforms with the aim of making its economy and society more sustainable, resilient, and prepared for the green and digital transitions. The plan is financed by €3.85 billion, of which €2.3 billion are grants and €1.55 billion are loans. This sixth payment request will bring the funds paid out to Lithuania under the RRF to €2.8 billion. This amount corresponds to 73.7% of all funds in the Lithuanian plan, with 65% of all milestones and targets in the plan assessed. An interactive map of projects financed by the RRF, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard , is available online. More information on the process of payment requests under the RRF can also be found online. With a view to the closure of the Facility at the end of 2026, Members States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by August 2026 and submit last payment requests by the end of September 2026. For more information Commission's preliminary assessment of Lithuanian's sixth payment request Lithuania's Recovery and Resilience plan Recovery and Resilience Facility Recovery and Resilience Facility project map Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation Recovery and Resilience Facility - questions and answers EU as a borrower IP/26/1091 Press contacts: Maciej BERESTECKI (+32 2 29 66483) Isabel ARRIAGA-E-CUNHA (+32 2 29 52117) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email
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