Work on the future ‘European Competitiveness Fund’ (ECF) post-2027 will continue under the leadership of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026. During a debate at the ‘Competitiveness’ Council on Monday 8 December, the Industry Ministers of the EU27 called for greater involvement of the Member States in the governance of the ECF.
However, the European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, stressed the need for the European Commission to have a degree of flexibility over the objectives and use of the fund in the years to come, a flexibility that could be limited by too much power for the Member States.
“We need to take into account the political urgencies of the future. So, yes to close governance with the Member States deciding together, but beware of the flexibility needed for the next stage”, he said.
The current Danish Presidency of the EU Council believes that it has already moved discussions forward and taken account of the comments made by Member States on a number of issues. This is particularly true of the fund’s governance.
In its latest compromise proposals, the Danish Presidency has ensured that all the comitology procedures provided for in the regulation will be review procedures, so that the capitals will have a greater say in the decision.
A greater role is also envisaged for the ECF’s ‘general committee’, which will be able to advise the Commission on relevant issues and on the strategic direction of the ECF, according to a progress note consulted by Agence Europe.
Priority to strategic projects. Several ministers again stressed the need, in their view, to concentrate ECF funding on the most promising and strategic projects. For several weeks they have also been calling for the addition of general criteria for the allocation of funds.
The Danish Presidency took account of these comments and inserted an article in the proposed regulation to establish a framework setting out the allocation criteria for the work programmes. This framework sets out the general objectives of the ECF.
Several Member States welcomed this addition to the draft regulation by the Presidency.
Geographical balance. As in previous debates on the ECF, several countries - especially those in Central and Eastern Europe - have argued that future financial support should not be concentrated in the same traditional industrial areas, to the detriment of countries that are less industrially developed (see EUROPE 13719/1). (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)