THE HAGUE, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch government has taken the first steps to get 4.7 billion euros (5.17 billion U.S. dollars) from the European COVID-19 recovery fund, Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag announced in a letter to the House of Representatives on Monday.

       The steps comprise 39 measures that can be financed with subsidies from Brussels, including plans for more wind energy at sea and a CO2 tax for the industrial sector. It is now up to the parliament to give its opinion on these plans.

       If the parliament agrees, the list of measures will be sent to the European Commission. A green light from the European Union (EU) is expected in the autumn of this year.

       The EU COVID-19 recovery fund with 672.5 billion euros was launched in autumn 2020 to give the European economy a boost.

       As part of the fund, 312.5 billion euros will be allocated as grants intended for, among other things, investments in climate and digitization plans.

       The Netherlands initially claimed 5.8 billion euros in European subsidies, but due to the relatively good performance of the Dutch economy, that amount has been adjusted to 4.7 billion euros. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollars)