On Tuesday 29 September, the European ministers responsible for research reached a political agreement in principle (‘general approach’) on the set of rules establishing the new European Union framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, thus defining its rules for participation and dissemination.
The German EU Council Presidency was keen to see this step taken on Tuesday, so that the interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament could begin in October and be concluded by December, and the programme could be launched as early as January 2021.
“There is no need to repeat that Horizon Europe needs to start on time”, stressed the Commissioner for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, at the end of the meeting. “Because our researchers, our innovators, our citizens expect it. As the crisis has shown, Research and Innovation have an important role to play”, she added.
A timely launch will also benefit the “competitiveness of the EU”, confirmed German Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek.
The ministers reached agreement on the two components of the Horizon Europe legislative package. On the one hand, the decision on the specific programme implementing Horizon Europe, which defines the operational objectives and the types of activities envisaged. And, on the other hand, the regulation establishing Horizon Europe, which sets the objectives, the budget, the forms of funding, and the rules for granting funding.
On Tuesday, discussions focused in more detail on two outstanding issues: the distribution of the Horizon Europe budget between the different parts of the programme and the association of non-Member States.
Proportional budget breakdown
On the first point, the ministers opted, by a very large majority, for the German Presidency’s proposal based on a horizontal approach known as ‘haircut’. In other words, for a proportional distribution of the budget.
With one exception: €200 million has been deducted from the European Innovation Council’s share in order to replenish the budget for the Marie Curie-Skłodowska Action Programme by the same amount.
“I think this is a great message for our young researchers. But it also shows the need for a balance between support for research and innovation”, Ms Gabriel reacted.
The total budget available to Horizon Europe has been divided into three pillars (I. Science of Excellence; II. Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness – the most consequential; III. Innovative Europe), and a fourth category devoted to the European Research Area.
The amount discussed by the ministers corresponds to the amount approved by the European Council on 21 July, i.e. €80.9 billion in constant 2018 prices.
It consists of the funds made available under the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework (€75.9 billion) as well as those available under the post-Covid-19 Next Generation EU Recovery Instrument (€5 billion). It could be revised somewhat in light of the ongoing interinstitutional negotiations on the subject, with the European Parliament calling for more resources (see EUROPE 12566/11, EUROPE 12569/2).
An open, but “not vulnerable” programme
On Tuesday, the ministers also agreed on the conditions under which non-Member States will be able to join Horizon Europe and the conditions for negotiating association programmes.
They decided specifically to introduce into the text provisions to limit exceptionally the participation of legal entities established in the EU or in non-Member States and controlled, directly or indirectly, by non-Member States not associated with the EU.
These provisions, the German Minister assured, “will ensure a reasonable balance between openness on the one hand and the necessary protection of Europe's strategic interests on the other”. The Commissioner also argued for an open, “but not vulnerable” programme.
See the proposal for a Regulation: https://bit.ly/3jfB7Ok; and the proposal for a Decision: https://bit.ly/3i8FNEg (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)