The European Parliament was elected by the people, and is responsible for the wellbeing of the people, say Socialists and Democrats.

Eider Gardiazabal MEP, S&D spokeswoman on budget, said:

“In order to ensure the success of the national recovery plans, the European Commission must provide members of the European Parliament with all the information necessary to implement the parliamentary scrutiny in the ongoing assessment. This house was elected by the people, and we owe it to the people to make sure money is spent where it’s most needed. We are responsible for their wellbeing and future and expect the European Commission to acknowledge that and act accordingly.

“Furthermore, we urge the Commission to adopt the methodology to swiftly assess the social expenditure in order to ensure a real social impact from the plans.”

Jonás Fernández Alvarez MEP, S&D spokesman on economic issues, said:

“We will not get caught in any personal battles between members and the European Commission. We just ask for the right tools and access to do our job. When we reached the agreement last year on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, we were clear - the European Parliament must have a scrutiny role and must be kept informed. This has been improved, and we remind the European Commission that it is their duty to appear regularly in front of this Parliament to provide information.

“The S&Ds strongly support the consultation of social partners, civil society and other stakeholders in the ongoing preparation of the plans. It is up to the Commission to ensure that all players have been a part of this process. All citizens and civil society have to be on board for a successful recovery.”