The European Commission, on Wednesday, approved the final payment of six billion euros (6.7 billion dollars) to Germany from the European Union’s COVID-19 recovery fund.

The EU established the 573-billion-euro Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in 2021 to help member states recover economically from the pandemic.

Until the end of September, member countries could request disbursements from the fund in return for reforms aimed at making Europe’s economy more resilient.

The final payment brings Germany’s total funding under the programme to 30.3 billion euros.

Germany implemented “reforms and investments in the areas of the clean transition of transport and energy infrastructure, energy efficiency of housing, as well as the digitalisation of healthcare and public administration,” the commission said.

The measures included the energy-efficient renovation of over 36,000 buildings, the purchase of electric buses and charging stations, and support for digital processes and infrastructure in more than 1,600 hospitals.

 (dpa/NAN)