Brussels, 28/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 November six legislative proposals on the Horizon 2020 framework programme were adopted by very large majorities by the European Parliament's industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee. Several rather technical points are crucial in the negotiating game which is going to begin with the European Council and Commission - such as the rules for participation and the threshold for reimbursement of direct and indirect costs. However, the issue that most concerns the six general rapporteurs (from the EPP and S&D Groups, as well as from the GUE/NGL Group and the Greens) is the problem of the budget that will be allocated to this framework programme for 2014-2020.
The Parliament's position is both cautious and ambitious. As Maria Da Graca Carvalho MEP (EPP, Portugal) - who is the rapporteur for the general framework of Horizon 2020 - says, the Parliament recommends an envelope of €100 billion and deems the Commission's initial proposal (€80 billion) a minimum. The last European summit has already illustrated the breadth of the challenge posed by the outline of the multiannual financial framework. The fact that an even smaller sum than for the previous framework programme was proposed during the summit (€53 billion) is a truly worrying sign, commented Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, Belgium) - one of the six rapporteurs on Horizon 2020. (JK/transl.fl)