Consultancy fees as eligible costs under the Recovery and Resilience Facility framework

Question for written answer  E-001837/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Gunnar Beck (ID)

On 6 March 2021, the Italian Government said it had signed a EUR 25 000 contract with McKinsey to help set up the national recovery plan[1].

• 1.Are consultancy fees paid by Member States eligble as expenses covered by the Recovery and Resilience Facility?
• 2.Could the Commission provide a breakdown per Member State of the consultancy fees paid or contracted to be paid in the context of setting up or auditing the national recovery plans?
• 3.How does the Commission scrutinise consultancy contracts, given that consultancy firms, who also help multinational firms to define their investment strategies, cannot be free of conflicts of interest when advising the Member States on strategic public policy decisions[2]?

• [1] https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/italian-government-faces-criticism-for-hiring-mckinsey-over-eu-funds/
• [2] Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility – Recitals 18, 39, 40, 53, 54 and 72, and Articles 19(3)(j) and 22.