The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has found no issues in the 30 milestones and targets of Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) examined as part of its audit of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) payments for 2025. This conclusion is stated in the European Court of Auditors' Annual Report for the financial year 2025, published on October 8, 2026, representing a positive outcome for Portugal in the independent scrutiny of European funds.
The ECA, the European Union institution responsible for the external audit of its public finances, annually assesses the execution of the European budget. In the chapter dedicated to the RRF, the report presents the findings of the audit of 2025 payments, including the verification of compliance with the milestones and targets that condition fund disbursements to Member States.
According to the report, the Court examined 30 milestones and targets of the Portuguese PRR (six milestones and 24 targets), corresponding to approximately 55% of those associated with Portuguese payments in the 2025 audit. Within this scope, Portugal registered zero findings in the categories analyzed, including quantitative impact on the legality and regularity of payments, shortcomings in the Commission's ex ante assessment, vague formulations of milestones and targets, and weaknesses in internal control systems.
This result is particularly significant given the independent nature of the audit and the importance of verifying milestones and targets within the RRF's financing model, where payments are linked to the satisfactory demonstration of pre-agreed outcomes with the European Union.
The published results are a positive signal regarding the regularity of the Portuguese milestones and targets examined, assuming particular relevance in the current context of the PRR's closure, as the European Commission is currently evaluating Portugal's 10th and final payment request. The ECA's independent audit reinforces confidence in the execution process and accountability to European institutions.
The Mission Structure 'Recuperar Portugal' reaffirms its commitment to rigorously monitoring the Plan's execution, ensuring the reliability of reported information, and implementing internal control mechanisms to protect national and EU financial interests.
