Horizon Europe

Background

In July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposals for Horizon Europe, the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation for the period 2028-2034. This framework responds to increasingly complex global challenges, including the green and digital transitions, the global water crisis and intensifying strategic competition with major global players such as the United States and China. Aligned with the Draghi and Letta reports’ recommendations on strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty, the framework is structured around four pillars covering excellent science, competitiveness and society, innovation and the European Research Area, and introduces closer coordination between Horizon Europe and the newly proposed European Competitiveness Fund.

The EESC considers this framework critical not only for Europe’s economic competitiveness but also for addressing societal challenges and ensuring inclusive participation in research and innovation. The Committee emphasises that while strengthening competitiveness is essential, the framework must also preserve space for fundamental research, support researchers across all Member States, regardless of their research and innovation capacity, and balance industrial priorities with broader societal needs including democratic values, social inclusion and sustainable development.

Key points

The EESC:

• considers the indicative budget of EUR 175 002 000 000 proposed for the period 2028-2034 to be encouraging and that it sends a strong signal of support for scientific excellence and the aim of investing in research and innovation and disruptive technologies. However, the EESC recommends that it be used only as a baseline figure for discussions between the Council and the European Parliament;
• deems it imperative to improve the monitoring of the use of funds and to identify obstacles to their use and the factors behind underspending in certain countries;
• recommends maintaining and correctly aligning Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund, particularly the fund’s four policy components and the corresponding activities under the ‘Competitiveness’ pillar of Horizon Europe (Pillar II);
• recommends that, in order to support the entire innovation cycle from fundamental research to placing on the market, project assessment and selection procedures must not only be based on scientific excellence, but also on additional assessment criteria designed to better understand commercial relevance, industrial impact and the contribution to European strategic autonomy and the competitiveness of European industry;
• recommends maintaining a four-year term of office, renewable once for the president of the European Research Council (ERC), instead of reducing it to two years.

Read the opinion here.

Additional information

Section: Single Market, Production and Consumption

Opinion number: INT/1102

Opinion type: Mandatory

Rapporteur: Christophe Lefèvre

Reference: (COM(2025) 543 final – 2025/0543 (COD)) and (COM(2025) 544 final – 2025/0544 (CNS)

Date of adoption by section: 08.01.2026

Result of the vote: 99 in favour / 0 against / 0 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: 22.01.2026

Result of the vote in plenary:

Contacts

Press officers: Flavia Badircea and Laura Lui

Tel.: +32 2 546 9189

Email: laurairena.lui@eesc.europa.eu

Administrator: Jana Valant

Tel.: +3225468924

Email: jana.valant@eesc.europa.eu