Former Labour Prime Minister Alfred Sant has voted in favour of a resolution on the scrutiny of the European Parliament on the ongoing assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans but said this should not translate into direct interference in the national plans designed by individual states.

While expressing his reservations about the resolution, the Labour MEP insisted the European Parliament’s role is to scrutinise the European Commission’s performance in defending the pre-agreed targets, complex as they are, as adopted through the regulation.

The purpose of the resolution is to support the scrutiny by parliament of the ongoing assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans by the European Commission, and to ensure a swift adoption of the Council implementing decisions linked to the national plans.

Sant noted that the resolution contains a strong reference to the European Semester’s Country Specific Recommendations and added that recommendations tied to macro-economic conditionality and relevant structural measures are already controversial in their own right.

“The obstinate resolve of various political factions to impose such recommendations over the social dimension that these national plans should have is reprehensible, especially in a moment where both society and economy are attempting to exit the biggest crisis in Europe since World War Two," Sant told the plenary session of the European Parliament.