The European Commission has given the go-ahead for a further €240 million in grants for Ireland under NextGenerationEU programme.
The scheme was set up un der the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to help Ireland recover from the impact of the Covid crisis.
It is the third instalment of EU grants following a request from the Irish government in the summer.
“This request includes 14 milestones and targets, corresponding to important steps in the delivery of three reforms and eight investments that will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Ireland”, said the European Commission.
“The areas affected by these reforms and investments span energy efficiency, sustainable transport, carbon taxation, e-health, public administration, higher education, healthcare and reducing the risk of aggressive tax planning.”
In total, Ireland has been allocated €1.15 billion in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
This third payment will bring the funds paid out to Ireland under the RRF to 59 percent of all the funds earmarked for Ireland’s RRF plan, according to the European Commission.
The EU says Ireland has so far met 61 percent of the agreed milestones and targets.
Payments made to EU member states under the RRF are “performance-based”.