On the proposal for a Council decision on establishing the Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2028-2034, laying down the rules for participation and dissemination under that Programme, and repealing Decision (EU) 2021/764

In July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposals for the establishment of the tenth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2028–2034 and for the Specific Programme implementing that Framework Programme. The objective of the present Council Decision is to establish the Specific Programme implementing the Framework Programme in accordance with Article 182(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Pursuant to Article 182(4) TFEU, the Framework Programme adopted under Article 182(3) TFEU shall be implemented through specific programmes which define the detailed rules for its implementation, fix its duration and provide for the means deemed necessary.

The Specific Programme is therefore of an implementing nature. It must remain subordinate to the Framework Programme and should not introduce substantive elements that go beyond or modify the objectives, principles and architecture defined in the basic act adopted under Article 182(3) TFEU. Legal clarity and institutional coherence require that essential policy choices and governance principles be anchored in the Framework Programme itself, rather than being dispersed across implementing instruments.

For this reason, this draft report proposes to align the legal architecture more clearly with the Treaty framework and to ensure that provisions exceeding the implementing function of Article 182(4) TFEU are appropriately reflected at the level of the Framework Programme. The following Articles are therefore proposed to be moved, in whole or in part, to the Framework Programme, subject to agreement at Committee level in the European Parliament: Article 4, Article 5, Article 6, Article 7, Article 8, Article 12 and Article 18.

The rapporteur welcomes the Commission’s proposal to maintain Horizon Europe as a strong and visible standalone Framework Programme with a robust financial envelope.

Europe faces interconnected challenges, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, geopolitical fragmentation and intensified technological competition, which call for a stronger industrial and competitiveness policy. While the creation of a European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) responds to this need, the proposed governance links with Horizon Europe risk blurring the distinct objectives and principles of the Union’s research and innovation policy.

Horizon Europe is grounded in excellence as the primary selection criterion, competitive funding and independent expert evaluation, with a medium- to long-term focus on knowledge creation, frontier research and collaborative research and innovation activities, particularly at lower Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). By contrast, market deployment and industrial scaling follow different timelines and risk profiles. Conflating these distinct intervention logics risks legal uncertainty and governance complexity, hereby risks reducing strategic effectiveness and threatening the overarching goal of simplifying procedures.

The draft report therefore proposes a clearer separation of governance and work programmes between Horizon Europe and the ECF. In particular, collaborative research and innovation activities should remain fully governed by Horizon rules and procedures, including Programme Committees anchored exclusively within the Horizon framework.

Investment in research and innovation is indispensable for the Union’s long-term competitiveness, societal progress and strategic autonomy. However, Horizon Europe generates its added value precisely by intervening where market incentives are weakest: in lower TRL activities, frontier research, collaborative research and research infrastructures. Knowledge creation is a public good and requires stable, excellence-based funding insulated from short-term industrial or deployment pressures. Preserving this distinct intervention logic is therefore essential not only for scientific progress but also for ensuring that the Union’s broader competitiveness strategy rests on a strong and autonomous research base.

It is crucial to note that public funding at Union level alone is not sufficient in meeting the investment targets for research and innovation in the Union. A joint effort in increasing both European and national funding, coordinated better at national level between Member States and complemented by the role of private investment, is needed to close the widening gap behind global competitors research and development (R&D) expenditure. In 2023, R&D expenditure grew by an estimated 8.7% in China and 1.7% in the United States, compared to 1.6% in the Union. Over the longer term, China’s R&D intensity rose from 0.94% to 2.43% of GDP between 2001 and 2021, while the EU increased from 1.7% to 2.16%, highlighting the structural nature of the gap.

Europe is facing intensifying global competition for talent, making the transition from brain drain to brain gain a central objective of the next Framework Programme. Flagship instruments with a proven track record must therefore retain strong and visible support. Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) have played a crucial role in strengthening career prospects for early-stage researchers and provided important support to training young doctoral and postdoctoral training. They must retain a clear budgetary identity to continue providing predictable and attractive conditions for talent to flourish and thrive in Europe.

Equally central to the success of the Union’s research landscape is the European Research Council (ERC). The ERC’s global reputation is built on scientific excellence, independent peer review and bottom-up competition. Through its unique governance, led by the Scientific Council, the ERC ensures that funding decisions are driven solely by quality and originality, irrespective of sectoral or geographical interests. This model attracts the best global talent, promotes high-risk/high-gain research, and hereby underpins Europe’s capacity to remain at the forefront of frontier science.

Independent impact evaluations confirm the ERC’s scientific value: around 80% of completed projects have resulted in either a scientific breakthrough (approximately 18%) or a major scientific advance (around 63%). Nearly half already demonstrate impacts beyond academia, with ERC-funded researchers generating more than 2,200 patents and founding or co-founding over 400 companies, illustrating the broader long-term benefits for the economy and society.

Preserving the autonomy of the ERC Scientific Council, its excellence-only evaluation principle, and its bottom-up nature is therefore indispensable to sustaining Europe’s position as a global leader in frontier research and ensuring that the next Framework Programme continues to support breakthroughs that enrich both science and society.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) plays a complementary role by supporting high-risk, high-impact innovation and bridging the gap between breakthrough research and market deployment. Its effectiveness depends on operational flexibility and the credibility of its transition pathways from ERC-funded research to EIC Transition and Accelerator instruments. Safeguarding this continuum is crucial to closing the innovation gap while maintaining trust in expert-driven evaluation.

Finally, the rapporteur introduces a novel instrument for sector-specific collaborative research within the “Excellent Science” part through sectoral plans under the auspices of the ERC Scientific Council. The objective of this mechanism is to enable research institutions representative for a specific scientific sector to jointly define a research focus theme that advances the sector as a whole, building on complementary strengths and specialisations. The initiative remains fully anchored in the ERC’s excellence-based and peer-review-driven governance. The sectoral plans would be reflected in the ERC Work Programme adopted in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Framework Programme and implemented by the Commission. The pre-allocation of an indicative budget envelope within the Work Programme would provide planning predictability, while the detailed research and expenditure plans would be developed by the participating institutions and subject to approval through a dedicated expert peer-review panel in line with existing ERC evaluation principles. This approach preserves the Commission’s prerogatives in programme adoption and strengthens expert-led coordination within sectors, thereby fostering specialisation, excellence and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the report, until the adoption thereof in committee from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register1, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the concerned natural persons the European Parliament's Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.

The rapporteur has included in the legislative footprint both meetings he or his team has held and input he has received in writing, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies. The meetings with interest representatives are published in line with the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament and can be retrieved in the legislative observatory.