The EU’s expanded budget envelope for Horizon Europe sends a strong political signal, underscoring Europe’s ambition to strengthen competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has welcomed the European Commission proposal for Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship programme for funding research and innovation, underlining that science, research and innovation must remain central to the European project.

At a time of intensifying global competition and rapid technological change, a strong and well-governed EU research and innovation policy is essential to reinforcing Europe’s competitiveness, cohesion and strategic autonomy, while delivering tangible benefits for citizens across all Member States, the EESC stressed in an opinion adopted at its January plenary.

The EU’s commitment of EUR 175 billion to research and innovation for the 2028–2034 period – a substantial increase from EUR 95 billion under the previous cycle – is a major step forward.

‘The EU’s commitment of EUR 175 billion to research and innovation for the 2028–2034 period sends a strong signal in favour of scientific excellence, sound governance and strategic impact. In this context, the EESC has identified the priorities to improve the mechanisms currently under development’, said Christophe Lefèvre, rapporteur of the opinion.

However, the EESC stressed that this amount should serve only as a baseline for negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament. Any reduction below this level would represent a missed opportunity at a time when sustained investment in R&I is critical for Europe’s future. The EESC also warned that high inflation and rising costs risk diminishing the real value of the proposed funding envelope.

A central concern of the opinion was the need to strengthen oversight of how Horizon Europe funds are used, with effective monitoring systems essential for ensuring fair access and optimal use of EU resources. The EESC considered it imperative to identify obstacles to fund uptake and ascertain the factors behind underspending in certain countries. It cautioned against linking funding to 3% GDP targets, which could disproportionately affect countries with lower R&D capacities.

The Committee also recommended aligning Horizon Europe with the European Competitiveness Fund, and called for project assessment beyond scientific excellence to include commercial relevance and industrial impact, ensuring coherent governance across all EU instruments. (fb)