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

for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy 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

(COM(2025) 0544 – C100218/2025 – 2025/0544(CNS))

The Committee on Budgets has carried out a budgetary assessment of the proposal under Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure and has reached the following conclusions:

The Committee on Budgets,

A.whereas the Draghi report identifies research and innovation as one of the main drivers behind productivity and people’s well-being as it can generate positive externalities and support the EU’s strategic autonomy and welfare systems; whereas the report supports the design of a simpler programme focused on select priorities and with an increased budget of EUR 200 billion;

B.whereas the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe confirms the high European added value, relevance and effectiveness of the programme; whereas the evaluation highlights that despite the increase in the average success rate from 12 % in Horizon 2020 to 16.4 % in Horizon Europe, only 30 % of the high-quality proposals were able to be financed and an additional EUR 81.8 billion would have been needed to fund them all;

C.whereas the Budapest declaration on the new European Competitiveness Deal reiterates the importance of dedicating 3 % of GDP to research and development by 2030; whereas in the 24 years since the Barcelona declaration, only a few Member States have achieved this target; whereas the Horizon Europe framework programme can support the achievement of such a target and leverage additional funds from public and private entities;

D.whereas the Letta report proposes introducing a new ‘5th freedom to enhance research, innovation and education in the Single Market’;

1.Considers that the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 154 billion to EUR [number from the interim report, in current and 2025 prices] to provide the EU economy with the necessary innovation boost in strategic sectors, so as to help achieve the objective of dedicating 3 % of GDP to research and development expenditure by 2030, while also supporting the European research sector as a whole;

2.Considers that sufficient human resources must be available from the outset and throughout the entire programming period of the next multiannual financial framework to ensure the effective implementation of the Horizon Europe programme; stresses, therefore, that a clear and predictable allocation of resources for the various parts of the programme is necessary to ensure that the different implementing structures, such as the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC), maintain stable human resources;

3.Recalls the importance of reducing the administrative burden for beneficiaries and of further simplifying financial rules, in particular those related to personnel costs, while streamlining reporting requirements;

4.Recalls that work programmes cannot be the sole mechanism through which financial resources are allocated across specific policy areas; strongly calls for detailed budget lines for the programme so as to enable true oversight and steering from the budgetary authority;

5.Considers that allocations under Horizon Europe should remain clearly identifiable and traceable throughout implementation, including where actions are programmed alongside other EU instruments or policy windows;

6.Stresses that Parliament should receive timely information on the adoption of work programmes, including the financial allocation per action and the consistency of the allocations, with the objectives laid down in the basic act;

7.Supports the use of European partnerships as implementing bodies together with relevant public and private entities; calls for genuine European added value, transparency and openness in the creation of these partnerships and in the pursuit of their mission-oriented objectives: believes that a clear and predictable budget needs to be indicated for this instrument, together with transparent reporting on EU and partner contributions, and the performance and achievement of the instrument’s objectives;

8.Recalls that the ERC is a key institution for basic research, recognised for its pursuit of excellence; notes, with disappointment, the lack of a specific budget for the ERC and calls for it to receive clear, predictable and sufficiently ambitious funding;

9.Acknowledges the growing importance of the EIC as a key instrument in fostering competitiveness in the EU; calls for a clear budget for the EIC so that it can continue pursuing its mission of funding disruptive innovation;

10.Recalls the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities (the performance regulation), which establishes a single streamlined list for performance indicators and monitoring and evaluation provisions, some of which are relevant for [the programme]; underlines that any change in the architecture, objectives or eligible actions under the programme will need to be appropriately reflected in the monitoring provisions under Annex I to the performance regulation, as part of the process of amending and negotiating this regulation.

As part of its budgetary assessment, the Committee on Budgets also submits the following amendments to the draft proposal:

Amendment 1

Proposal for a regulation

Recital 10 a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 2

Proposal for a regulation

Recital X a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 3

Proposal for a regulation

Article 3 – paragraph 1

Or. en