Horizon Europe

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 out a strong signal of support for scientific excellence and the aim of investing in research and innovation (R&I) 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 monitoring the use of funds and to identify obstacles to their use or factors in 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 Pillar II of Horizon Europe ‘Competitiveness’;
• 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 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;
• considers that Pillar I relating to research and excellent science in the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) (Article 9 of the proposal for a Council Decision on Horizon Europe and Article 13 of the proposal for a regulation) should not be guided by any particular policy stance, and recommends maintaining a bottom-up focus (‘directionality’) instead of the top-down focus proposed by the Commission;
• recommends the utmost caution regarding the condition of 3% of GDP, provided for in Pillar IV ‘European Research Area’ in the proposed regulation, for the financing of capacity building measures from 2030 onwards, as it is in danger of affecting beneficiaries in countries with lower R&I capacities.

For more information, please contact INT secretariat.