The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) estimates that the number of unique awardees or beneficiaries of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan already reaches 1.4 million as of the first quarter of this year, and points to investment in railways and high-speed rail as the item that has absorbed the most funds to date.
The independent body updated its observatory of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan this Thursday, funded by "Next Generation EU" funds, incorporating information from the first quarter of 2026, a period in which formalizations and grants totaling almost 1.5 billion euros have been registered.
With the data corresponding to the first three months of 2026, contracts have been closed and grants awarded for a total of 61 billion euros —29.764 billion in direct aid and 31.140 billion in tenders— distributed across 1.6 million operations. The total number of unique awardees or beneficiaries stands at 1.4 million, given that the same entity can receive more than one grant or contract.
Regarding specific investment lines, the largest volume of resources is directed towards railway investment, including high-speed rail, which amounts to approximately 3.8 billion euros. The "Digital Kit" program to promote the digitalization of SMEs and self-employed individuals is also among the major items, with nearly 3 billion euros, along with renewable hydrogen projects, waste management and circular economy, as well as sustainable mobility at the local level.
By sub-sector, the bulk of the funds allocated falls to the state institutional public sector, which concentrates around 22.7 billion euros. This is followed by the autonomous communities, with approximately 16.144 billion euros, and the General State Administration, with slightly more than 13.5 billion euros. Local corporations add up to around 8.5 billion euros.
If analyzed by awarding bodies, the Railway Infrastructure Administrator (Adif) appears as the main issuer of calls for tenders, with approximately 7.2 billion euros linked to its programs. It is followed by the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), with about 4.6 billion, the public entity Red.es, with slightly more than 3.5 billion, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, with slightly more than 3 billion, and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, with about 2.6 billion.
By components, the observatory identifies sustainable mobility as one of the pillars of the plan, both in its long-distance and urban dimensions, which together amount to nearly 14 billion euros. Also outstanding are the allocations linked to industrial policy (5.132 billion), urban rehabilitation and regeneration (4.522 billion), and support for SMEs (3.963 billion).