John O'Brennan: Why the EU's €750bn Covid recovery fund needs guarding from abuse     

One of the big issues governing this spending will be how forcefully the commission links individual member state funding to the operation of the rule of law within their jurisdictions

Pictured is European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The criteria which govern what member states will receive from the Covid recovery fund are complex.

As the Covid crises eases and the economic fallout from a year of protracted lockdowns looms large, EU governments are finalising their national recovery and resilience plans linked to the €750bn Next Generation or Covid-19 recovery fund. 

The fund was finally agreed by member states along with the €1.1trn EU budget for the next seven years.