The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council held an event on Tuesday 2 February to mark the launch of the EU’s Ninth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe.
The guests who took part in the event, including several MEPs, Commission representatives, and European Research Ministers, reiterated the importance of European research in tackling current and future health, digital, and climate challenges.
The Portuguese Presidency took advantage of this launch to call on the EU-27 to ensure that Horizon Europe dovetails with the national programmes “for recovery and resilience” drawn up in the framework of the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan.
Although the Portuguese Presidency was keen to mark the launch of this programme, which will benefit the research and innovation sectors to the tune of around €95.5 billion over the next 7 years (see EUROPE 12621/10), legislative work is still in progress.
The regulation establishing Horizon Europe has not yet entered into force. The text still needs to obtain the political endorsement of the European Parliament before it can be definitively adopted at second reading. For the time being, only the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) has formally approved it. The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is expected to adopt its opinion on Thursday 4 February.
In addition, the text was amended at the end of January to ensure that the programme can be applied retroactively, from the beginning of the 2021 financial year. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)