European governance under stress: assessing the legacy of Recovery and Resilience Plans

The governance of European public policy has entered a new phase with the implementation of the national Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) under the Next Generation EU programme. Launched as a response to the economic and social disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, these plans represent an unprecedented exercise in coordinated European fiscal intervention. As the RRPs move towards their closing stages in 2026, this moment offers unique opportunities to evaluate how this initiative has reshaped policy processes, governance architectures, and institutional capacities across the continent. Studies to date reveal wide variation across Member States in the governance models adopted, the degree of centralization or decentralization, and the engagement of subnational authorities, reflecting both existing administrative traditions and the transformative pressures induced by crisis policymaking. Yet, systematic comparative analyses remain limited, particularly regarding the long-term institutional consequences of the RRPs and their potential to redefine relations between the European Union and its Member States.This Research Topic aims to explore how the governance structures and administrative practices developed for the RRPs have influenced broader dynamics of policymaking and state capacity in Europe. The objective is to understand whether the RRP framework has contributed to durable transformations in modes of governance or merely reinforced pre-existing national trajectories. Specific attention will be devoted to the role of political leadership, administrative adaptation, and intergovernmental coordination in shaping the effectiveness and legitimacy of crisis governance. By situating these developments within debates on European integration and policy learning, the Research Topic seeks to uncover how moments of crisis can accelerate institutional innovation and redefine multi-level governance.To gather further insights into the governance transformation prompted by the Recovery and Resilience Plans, we welcome contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:- Roles and interactions of public and private actors in RRP policymaking and implementation;- Evolving patterns of multi-level governance and intergovernmental relations under the RRPs;- Administrative restructuring and capacity building within central executives;- Innovations in coordination, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms;- Tensions between centralization and decentralization in the management of recovery funds;- Comparative trajectories of convergence and divergence in national responses;- Broader implications of the RRPs for future EU policy instruments and crisis management frameworks Topic editors: Giuseppe Ieraci, Gaia Matilde Ripamonti, PATRIZIA MESSINA Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81497/european-governance-under-stress-assessing-the-legacy-of-recovery-and-resilience-plans