Member States’ deputy ambassadors to the European Union were almost unanimous in their opposition to the use of decommitments in the context of the Horizon Europe framework programme on Friday 4 November, according to our information. However, they were divided on the issue of the European chip infrastructure consortium.
As reported in our newsletter (see EUROPE 13055/1), the Czech Presidency of the EU Council wanted to hear from Member States on the issue of the budgetary construction of the Chips Act.
It had submitted two options to national delegations in a compromise of 27 October. The first left unchanged the European Commission’s financial infrastructure (€3.3 billion, half from Horizon Europe and half from the Digital Europe programme), while the second suggested a rejection of the use of decommitments within Horizon Europe. It was finally in favour of this second option that the delegations took position, according to three diplomatic sources.
“On budget there is almost if not a full unanimity to reject the decommitment above the 500 million as agreed in interinstitutional agreement under the Multiannual Financial Framework”, one of the sources told EUROPE.
The other major topic addressed by the Czech Presidency is the proposal for the European Chips Infrastructure Consortium (ECIC). Here, the Czech Presidency had proposed, as a first option, an alignment with the modalities of the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) with the granting of observer status to Member States that do not contribute financially. The second option put forward by the Presidency suggested the abolition of the consortium.
In the end, no clear majority was formed around either option, according to two diplomatic sources. A third source felt that there was, however, “a slight majority” to keep the consortium, but that more work needed to be done defining the framework of the consortium.
Following what is likely to be intense work at working group level, the Czech Presidency is expected to come back with a final compromise by mid-November for approval by the Committee of Permanent Representatives I (Coreper I), either on 16 or 18 November. The objective of obtaining a general approach at the Competitiveness Council on 1 December is still maintained for the time being, we were assured.
To access the 27 October compromise: https://aeur.eu/f/3vo
To view the 13 October compromise: https://aeur.eu/f/3mb (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)