By Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) – The Italian government will meet later on Friday to approve a decree setting out how it will oversee investments funded by the European Union and accelerating procedures for public works, a key step in unlocking the EU funds.

The reforms were promised to the European Commission to get a green light for Rome’s Recovery Plan and obtain a first tranche by August of the 205 billion euros ($250 billion) in grants and cheap loans it is due to receive from Brussels.

The cabinet is scheduled to meet at 6 pm (1600 GMT) to sign off on the decree, which has been the subject of tense negotiations with trade unions. It will then be sent to the Commission for approval.

Italy, which presented its Recovery Plan last month, is the biggest beneficiary of the 750 billion euro kitty set up to help the bloc’s 27 countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a draft of the decree seen by Reuters, governance of the plan will be run by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, key ministers and cabinet undersecretaries, while the Treasury is responsible for drawing attention to any hitches in the progress of investments.

A separate audit body at the state accounting office is charged with preventing cases of fraud, corruption or conflict of interest.

Draghi will have extensive powers to appoint special commissioners if any goals in the plan are “even potentially at risk”, the draft showed.

With an election due in 2023 at the latest, the decree also sets up a “technical body” at the cabinet office that will remain in place until 2026 to ensure investment projects are put into practice even after the government changes.

The decree pulls together two strands that were originally supposed to be separate pieces of legislation – one on the governance of the Recovery Plan and the other on simplification of bureaucratic procedures for investments.

In the simplification package, which Draghi had initially promised the EU would be adopted by May 20, some measures make it simpler to authorise new renewable energy projects such as small solar facilities.

Others aim to accelerate ultra-fast connectivity across the country, with one reducing to 90 days from six months the time it takes to authorise installation of antennas for telephone and digital networks.

A main point of contention, still to be settled, is a measure making it easier for firms that win public tenders to issue sub-contracts to carry out the projects. Unions say this will lead to lower wages and exploitation of workers.

The decree also broadens a scheme offering money to people who make their homes more energy efficient by extending it to hotels and guest-houses, and offers the same benefits to home-owners who install ultra-fast broadband.

Beneficiaries will receive back 110% of what they spend on the energy-efficiency or broadband installation work.

($1 = 0.8219 euros)