Following the debate on Friday afternoon, 30 November, the EU Competitiveness Council seemed to be moving towards a political agreement (general approach) on the Horizon Europe innovation programme, after the Austrian Presidency had finalised a new compromise document.
The willingness expressed by most Member States to overcome their disagreements in order to avoid slowing down the process of negotiating the programme in the run-up to the European elections would therefore have made it possible to reach an agreement despite the profound differences of opinion that had emerged during the afternoon's debate.
At press time, however, Member State representatives had not yet formally approved this new draft of general approach.
Long and intense as expected (see EUROPE 12149), the discussions focused on four points of disagreement.
The discussion on the budget structure of the second pillar of the Horizon Europe programme, whose subjects of mobility and space were problematic. If the new compromise put on the table by the Presidency were to be accepted, mobility and space would not obtain a dedicated centre to avoid the "fragmentation of the centres" feared by some Member States. In return, the text envisages a "horizontal basis" and "transversal points" such as Space.
However, France had made the independence of the "Space" cluster its "priority".
Another hot spot: the issue of capping partnerships may have been resolved, following a German compromise proposal. The text would thus envisage a cap, but without giving a precise figure, as the draft compromise merely requires that the majority of investments be made outside the partnership.
The issue was very much divided during the debate, with Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic arguing that it was too early to cap anything, pending the outcome of the budgetary discussions, while Poland and Portugal were calling for a 20% cap.
The third point of the afternoon's discussions was the creation of the European Innovation Council. This new body to finance innovation, particularly for SMEs, should be launched, with mixed and uncapped funding for other types of investment, as proposed by Spain. It could possibly start with a pilot phase, as France, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Slovenia would like.
Finally, the "Marie Curie" actions, hoped for by the Eastern European countries, aimed at stemming the brain drain and which are being strengthened through Horizon Europe, could benefit from the budget allocated to this programme. The payment of scholarships granted to researchers for their return to the EU could thus be supported by European funds, if duly justified by ‘mapping’. (Original version in French by Mathieu Solal)