---
title: "Ursula von der Leyen flew to Rome to personally approve Italy's EU COVID recovery fund money."
claim_id: "0b1c26fe-6d9b-467b-9ba2-d986c0f4ca05"
validity: 85
model: accounts/fireworks/models/deepseek-v4p1-flash
---

# Claim: Ursula von der Leyen flew to Rome to personally approve Italy's EU COVID recovery fund money.

Verdict: 85%
Model: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
Checked on: 08/10/2026

## Verdict explanation

##### Reasoning

- The claim's core event is real: on 22 June 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Rome and, at a joint press conference with Italian PM Mario Draghi, announced the Commission's formal approval of Italy's pandemic recovery plan.[^1][^2]
- The Commission's own page confirms "Commission president Ursula von der Leyen presents the Commission's assessment of the original plan to former Prime Minister Draghi in Rome on 22 June 2021."[^3]
- The amount was the EU's largest allocation: €191.5 billion (€68.9bn grants + €122.6bn loans) under NextGenerationEU.[^4][^1][^2]
- She was on a multi-city tour that day (Rome, Berlin, Riga) to launch the recovery fund, so Rome was one stop on that tour rather than a single-purpose trip.[^5][^2]
- Minor nuance: the endorsement was formally a decision of the College of Commissioners (with final Council sign-off in July 2021), so "personally approve" slightly overstates her individual role — but the trip, the approval, and her role in announcing it are all accurate.[^3][^1]

**Overall validity**: 85%

[^1]:
    [EU approves 191.5 billion euros in recovery funds for Italy | PBS News](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/eu-approves-191-5-billion-euros-in-recovery-funds-for-italy)

[^2]:
    [EU endorses 3 member states' post-COVID recovery plans](http://www.ecns.cn/news/2021-06-23/detail-ihannatq0281320.shtml)

[^3]:
    [Italy’s recovery and resilience plan - Reforms and Investments](https://reforms-investments.ec.europa.eu/recovery-and-resilience-facility-1/country-pages/italys-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en)

[^4]:
    [EU endorses 3 member states' post-COVID recovery plans - Chinadaily.com.cn](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202106/23/WS60d28f2ca31024ad0bacad99.html)

[^5]:
    [EU launches coronavirus stimulus program](https://www.dw.com/en/eu-launches-coronavirus-stimulus-program/a-58020515)

## Sources using this claim (1)

- [Ursula von der Leyen approved €320 million for a centre where her husband sits on the board. She f…](/source/instagram:post:DcTgo41k9rr) — 25% — 1 views