1. Payments of financial contributions and, where applicable, of the loan to the Member State concerned under this Article shall be made by 31 December 2026 and in accordance with the budget appropriations and subject to the available funding.

2. Upon completion of the relevant agreed milestones and targets indicated in the recovery and resilience plan as approved in accordance with Article 20, the Member State concerned shall submit to the Commission a duly justified request for payment of the financial contribution and, where relevant, of the loan. Such requests for payment may be submitted by the Member States to the Commission twice a year.

3. The Commission shall assess on a preliminary basis without undue delay, and at the latest within two months of receiving the request, whether the relevant milestones and targets set out in the Council implementing decision referred to in Article 20(1) have been satisfactorily fulfilled. The satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets shall presuppose that measures related to previously satisfactorily fulfilled milestones and targets have not been reversed by the Member State concerned. For the purpose of the assessment, the operational arrangements referred to in Article 20(6) shall also be taken into account. The Commission may be assisted by experts.