Brussels, 13/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The backlog of accumulated arrears and the risk of the administrative machine stalling due to there being an overwhelming number of funding requests for research projects are the two nightmares that haunt the Commission's sleep. Speaking at the industry, research and energy committee (ITRE) on Wednesday 12 February, the director-general of DG Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, said that he shared MEPs' concerns but did note the launch of the new “Horizon 2020” (2014-2020) Framework Programme.
Since December 2013, Commissioner for Research, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn has been on a small tour of Europe, to take part in ceremonies to launch the “Horizon 2020” programme. Her presentations often contained two key messages: a simplified framework programme structure and an increase in the budget. For these two reasons, “Horizon 2020” is in danger of falling victim to its own success.
Smits went to the ITRE committee to testify and prove that every single one of the MEPs' wishes expressed in the co-drafting process for the new framework programme is a “top priority” for the European Commission. He rapidly summed up the situation point by point, without ever forgetting to name each rapporteur and demonstrate how the wishes of Parliament were being implemented with the Commission's complete goodwill, even launching the first call for proposals in the middle of December last year. All these good intentions and the pomp and ceremony surrounding the “Horizon 2020” launch, however, were not enough in themselves to ensure that the Commission could sleep soundly in its bed.
According to his own words, Smits is haunted by two “nightmares”. Firstly, a step back in time with the payment arrears that shook the European institutions somewhat during the debacle surrounding the EU budget 2014 (see EUROPE 10948). Smits pointed out that “once again… we are faced with a problem” and explained that “we will have a legacy of payment credits from the FP7 and at the same time there are credit payments necessary to allow for pre-financing Horizon 2020… If you add it up, we are going to have a car running against a wall I think in one or two years time from now”
Given that misfortunes never come alone, the second nightmare affects the popularity of the framework programme, which is quite simply at risk of collapsing if demand for it is too high. Demand could prove much higher for two reasons: many national research budgets are falling, despite the European budget for research rising significantly; Horizon 2020 is much more accessible than the FP7. The Commission now has 5% less staff. According to Smits, the question is whether, in the successive Commission calls for proposals, the number of responses will exceed the administrative capacity to process them. Ultimately, it is the member states alone that can help ensure that the Commission can sleep soundly again: if they redouble their efforts to attain the 3% research investment target and if the Council quite simply manages to pay the outstanding bills. (JK/transl.fl)