Text · Opinion parliamentary committee draft
On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695
Full title
On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695
Document SEDE-PA-782488 · (COM(2025/0543 – C100164/2025 – 2025/0543(COD))
- Kind
- Opinion parliamentary committee draft SEDE-PA-782488
- Date
- 4 February 2026
- Committee
- Committee on Security and Defence
- Rapporteur
- Costas Mavrides
- Dossier
- 2025-0543
More facts (3)
- Formats
- Official page PDF Word
- Subject matter
- PESC, RDT
- Reference
- (COM(2025/0543 – C100164/2025 – 2025/0543(COD))
In short
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The Committee on Security and Defence proposes amendments to Parliament's position on the proposed Horizon Europe regulation for 2028-2034, focusing on dual-use research and defence innovation. It adds a new Article 5a allowing dual-use actions only in calls explicitly designated as open to them, with stricter eligibility, security screening and dissemination conditions. Participation in such calls would be limited to entities established in EU member states, Ukraine, EEA EFTA states, or associated countries with a security and defence partnership with the Union. The amendments also adjust recitals on research careers, the European Innovation Council's defence and dual-use start-up support, international cooperation and economic security, and add Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference to the Programme's societal challenges.
Position. The Committee on Security and Defence proposes amendments to the Horizon Europe regulation to allow dual-use actions only in explicitly designated calls, restrict participation to entities from the EU, Ukraine, EEA EFTA states or associated countries with a security and defence partnership, and add security conditions and FIMI to the Programme.
Key points
- Dual-use actions would be eligible for support only where the relevant work programme explicitly designates a call as open to them.
- Such designation must not affect the civilian character of the regulation or lead to systematic or exclusive funding of dual-use actions.
- Designated calls must specify scope and conditions and remain open to projects pursuing exclusively civilian applications.
- Work programmes may impose stricter eligibility conditions on place of establishment and third-country control, enhanced security screening and risk assessments, and specific dissemination, exploitation and access conditions.
- The Commission would verify that participation by entities from associated countries or EU entities controlled by third countries does not contravene Union and member state security and defence interests.
- Participation in dual-use calls would be restricted to legal entities established in EU member states, Ukraine, EEA EFTA states, or associated countries with a security and defence partnership with the Union.
- Recital 14 would state that dual-use eligibility is limited to explicitly designated calls without affecting the Programme's civilian character.
- Recital 15 would include a DARPA-like approach dedicated to supporting defence and dual-use start-ups and their scaling-up, complementing the ECF InvestEU Instrument, EUDIS and CASSINI.
- Recital 21 would limit participation in dual-use actions to entities established in member states, Ukraine, EEA EFTA states, or associated countries with a security and defence partnership with the Union.
- Recital 22 would require eligibility and participation conditions for sensitive or dual-use technologies to reflect the regulation's geographic scope and security requirements, with security, resilience and export control considerations.
- Article 15(4) would add Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) to the areas of global societal challenges the Programme supports.
Who is affected
- Legal entities from EU member states, Ukraine, EEA EFTA states and associated countries with a security and defence partnership: eligible for dual-use calls.
- Entities from other third countries: excluded from dual-use calls.
- EU entities controlled by a third country or third-country entity: subject to Commission verification for dual-use actions.
- Defence and dual-use start-ups: targeted for DARPA-like support under the European Innovation Council.
Text
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Jump to an amendment (8)
The Committee on Security and Defence submits the following to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, as the committee responsible:
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (14) In a knowledge-based global economy, the Union’s long-term competitiveness, technological leadership and capacity to address global challenges should depend notably on its ability to develop, attract and retain a highly skilled and internationally connected research workforce. Strategic investment in excellent researchers, in their training, mobility and career prospects, within and outside academia, is essential to sustain innovation, economic resilience and societal well-being. In line with the principles of the European Charter for researchers, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are instrumental in advancing this objective. The Programme should reinforce links between universities and innovation ecosystems, including the private sector. It should enable the completion of the European Research Area, including via development of European higher education sector capacity to compete with global counterparts through collaboration, nurturing and attracting talent and leveraging more private investments, including through higher education initiatives like European Universities Alliances, in synergy with Erasmus+, and in line with the objectives and activities of this Regulation. | (14) In a knowledge-based global economy, the Union’s long-term competitiveness, technological leadership and capacity to address global challenges should depend notably on its ability to develop, attract and retain a highly skilled and internationally connected research workforce. Strategic investment in excellent researchers, in their training, mobility and career prospects, within and outside academia, is essential to sustain innovation, economic resilience and societal well-being. In line with the principles of the European Charter for researchers, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are instrumental in advancing this objective. The Programme should reinforce links between universities and innovation ecosystems, including the private sector. It should enable the completion of the European Research Area, including via development of European higher education sector capacity to compete with global counterparts through collaboration, nurturing and attracting talent and leveraging more private investments, including through higher education initiatives like European Universities Alliances, in synergy with Erasmus+, and in line with the objectives and activities of this Regulation. Where supported activities relate to technologies, products or applications with both civilian and military uses, so-called dual-use actions, eligibility should be limited to calls explicitly designated as open to such dual-use actions, without affecting the civilian character of the Programme or resulting in systematic defence funding, and subject, where appropriate, to specific eligibility, security screening, result-protection and participation conditions necessary to safeguard the Union’s security and defence interests. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (15) The European Innovation Council (EIC) should stimulate deep tech market-creating innovation. It should identify, develop and deploy these deep tech innovations through its instruments. Through coherent and streamlined support, the EIC should fill the vacuum in public support and private investment for breakthrough technologies and deep tech innovation. The EIC should aim to bridge, integrate and accelerate through its instruments the innovator’s journey from research to market and enable the Union to have leading companies in emerging areas of technology to meet its social and economic objectives and avoid dependencies on other regions. The EIC should support high risk, high-potential innovations and companies presenting such technological, scientific, financial, management or market risks that they are not yet considered to be fully bankable and therefore cannot raise the necessary level of investments to be globally competitive from the market. This should incorporate both an ‘open’ (bottom-up) and a ‘challenge’ driven approach, in close coordination and synergy with the European Competitiveness Fund and its policy windows. It should include a ‘DARPA’-like approach dedicated to supporting defence and dual use startups and their scaling up operating in full complementarity with the ECF InvestEU Instrument and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and CASSINI (Space entrepreneurship initiative) activities. The implementation should be done in close synergy and coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund. | (15) The European Innovation Council (EIC) should stimulate deep tech market-creating innovation. It should identify, develop and deploy these deep tech innovations through its instruments. Through coherent and streamlined support, the EIC should fill the vacuum in public support and private investment for breakthrough technologies and deep tech innovation. The EIC should aim to bridge, integrate and accelerate through its instruments the innovator’s journey from research to market and enable the Union to have leading companies in emerging areas of technology to meet its social and economic objectives and avoid dependencies on other regions. The EIC should support high risk, high-potential innovations and companies presenting such technological, scientific, financial, management or market risks that they are not yet considered to be fully bankable and therefore cannot raise the necessary level of investments to be globally competitive from the market. This should incorporate both an ‘open’ (bottom-up) and a ‘challenge’ driven approach, in close coordination and synergy with the European Competitiveness Fund and its policy windows. It should include a ‘DARPA’-like approach dedicated to supporting defence and dual-use start-ups and their scaling-up operating in full complementarity with the ECF InvestEU Instrument, the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and CASSINI (Space entrepreneurship initiative) activities. The implementation should be done in close synergy and coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund. Such support should be provided under specific governance and coordination arrangements ensuring consistency with the defence capability priorities commonly agreed by Member States, in particular the Capability Development Plan, while avoiding duplication with other Union defence instruments. For EU defence-related actions supported under the EIC Accelerator, appropriate safeguards must be in place to prevent the export of technologies, products or knowledge to countries that contravene the security and defence interests of the Union and its Member States, including the principles of good neighbourly relations and of international law. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (21) Acknowledging the benefit derived from international cooperation towards addressing, among others, shared technological, economic, environmental and societal concerns, the Programme, should promote cooperation with third countries. International cooperation should aim to strengthen the Union’s competitiveness and excellence in R&I, including its capacity to attract and retain the best talents worldwide. Geo-political considerations including economic security should be at the centre of the approach and varying degrees of cooperation should be considered based on an overall assessment of the benefit that could be derived by the Union towards addressing its priorities and global challenges while safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. Association to all or parts of the Programme should remain the most comprehensive form of cooperation. For EIC defence related activities, only entities established in third countries associated with the European Competitiveness Fund for defence activities should be eligible for funding. The Programme may support activities financed by the Global Europe programme provided they comply with the rules and objectives of this Regulation in line with the provisions on synergies. | (21) Acknowledging the benefit derived from international cooperation towards addressing, among others, shared technological, economic, environmental and societal concerns, the Programme, should promote cooperation with third countries. International cooperation should aim to strengthen the Union’s competitiveness and excellence in R&I, including its capacity to attract and retain the best talents worldwide. Geo-political considerations including economic security should be at the centre of the approach and varying degrees of cooperation should be considered based on an overall assessment of the benefit that could be derived by the Union towards addressing its priorities and global challenges while safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. Association to all or parts of the Programme should remain the most comprehensive form of cooperation. Nevertheless, in view of the sensitive nature of certain activities, participation in actions designated as open to dual-use applications under this Regulation should be limited to entities established in Member States, in Ukraine, in members of the EFTA which are part of the EEA, or in associated countries having concluded a security and defence partnership with the Union. For EIC defence related activities, only entities established in third countries associated with the European Competitiveness Fund for defence activities should be eligible for funding. The Programme may support activities financed by the Global Europe programme provided they comply with the rules and objectives of this Regulation in line with the provisions on synergies. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (22) To reinforce the Union’s strategic autonomy and ensure long-term sustainable economic growth, it is essential to bolster its global competitiveness while safeguarding its strategic assets and interests as outlined in the European Economic Security Strategy1. Article 136 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 as complemented by Article 10 of Regulation (EU) XXX [European Competitiveness Fund] promote the competitiveness of the Union and protect its economic security. The application of these provisions for the purpose of the Programme should provide an appropriate legal framework to allow, where necessary, for the establishment of specific conditions regarding award procedures that promote research-driven competitiveness and protect the interests and strategic autonomy of the Union, including measures aimed at restricting participation or protecting results and ensuring coherence and consistency with specific rules under the European Competitiveness Fund windows. Where necessary, a risk-based approach should be applied to ensure that risks related to research and innovation are identified, assessed, and addressed through proportionate and effective measures2. In accordance with Article 136 of the Financial Regulation, eligibility restrictions should apply to high-risk suppliers, for security reasons. | (22) To reinforce the Union’s strategic autonomy and ensure long-term sustainable economic growth, it is essential to bolster its global competitiveness while safeguarding its strategic assets and interests as outlined in the European Economic Security Strategy1. Article 136 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 as complemented by Article 10 of Regulation (EU) XXX [European Competitiveness Fund] promote the competitiveness of the Union and protect its economic security. The application of these provisions for the purpose of the Programme should provide an appropriate legal framework to allow, where necessary, for the establishment of specific conditions regarding award procedures that promote research-driven competitiveness and protect the interests and strategic autonomy of the Union, including measures aimed at restricting participation or protecting results and ensuring coherence and consistency with specific rules under the European Competitiveness Fund windows. In particular, for actions involving sensitive or dual-use technologies, eligibility and participation conditions should reflect the geographic scope and security requirements set out in this Regulation, and should be accompanied by appropriate security, resilience and export control considerations. Where necessary, a risk-based approach should be applied to ensure that risks related to research and innovation are identified, assessed, and addressed through proportionate and effective measures2. In accordance with Article 136 of the Financial Regulation, eligibility restrictions should apply to high-risk suppliers, for security reasons. |
| 1 Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council on “European Economic Security Strategy, JOIN(2023) 20 final, Brussels, 20.06.2023. | 1 Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council on “European Economic Security Strategy, JOIN(2023) 20 final, Brussels, 20.06.2023. |
| 2 Council Recommendation of 23 May 2024 on enhancing research security, C/2024/3510. | 2 Council Recommendation of 23 May 2024 on enhancing research security, C/2024/3510. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Article 5a | |
| Support to dual-use actions | |
| 1. Activities relating to technologies, products or applications which may have both civilian and military uses (“dual-use actions”) shall only be eligible for support where the relevant work programme explicitly designates a call as open to such actions. | |
| 2. The designation of calls pursuant to paragraph 1 shall not affect the civilian character of the Regulation and shall not result in the systematic or exclusive funding of dual-use actions. | |
| 3. Calls referred to in paragraph 1 shall: | |
| (a) specify the scope and conditions under which dual-use actions may be supported; and | |
| (b) remain open, under the same call, to projects pursuing exclusively civilian applications. | |
| 4. For calls referred to in paragraph 1, the work programme may lay down additional requirements, including, where appropriate: | |
| (a) stricter eligibility conditions concerning the place of establishment of legal entities and control by third countries | |
| (b) enhanced security screening and risk assessments; and | |
| (c) specific conditions related to the dissemination, exploitation and access to results. | |
| 5. The Commission shall verify that participation by legal entities from associated countries and by legal entities established in the Union controlled by a third country or a third country entity in dual-use actions does not contravene the security and defence interests of the Union and its Member States as established in the framework of the common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union, including respect for the principle of good neighbourly relations. Such participation may be subject, where appropriate, to: | |
| (a) restrictions related to control by non-associated third countries; | |
| (b) specific conditions on access to sensitive information and results; and | |
| (c) appropriate security guarantees proportionate to the sensitivity of the action. | |
| 6. The Commission shall ensure that the designation of calls open to dual-use actions is duly justified in the work programme, having regard to Union policy objectives and the sensitive nature of such activities. | |
| 7. For calls referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission shall ensure close coordination with relevant Union defence-related structures, including in particular the services responsible for defence and space and the European Defence Agency, with a view to ensuring consistency with Union security and defence priorities and avoiding duplication with other Union defence instruments. | |
| 8. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council in a timely manner of the designation of calls open to dual-use actions. | |
| The Commission shall include in its annual reporting a dedicated section detailing the implementation of this Article, including the number of calls concerned, the volume of funding allocated, and the measures taken to safeguard the civilian character of the Programme. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 7a. Participation in calls designated as open to dual-use actions pursuant to Article 5a shall be restricted to legal entities that are: | |
| (a) established in a Member State of the European Union; | |
| (b) established in Ukraine; | |
| (c) established in member states of the European Free Trade Association which are member states of the European Economic Area; or | |
| (d) established in an associated country which has concluded a security and defence partnership with the Union. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 4. The Programme shall support activities to tackle global societal challenges in the areas of strengthening democratic values and tackling disinformation and, including rule of law and fundamental rights; promoting socio-economic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth, addressing demographic and intergenerational challenges, including from a youth perspective and including migration management and integration of migrants. | 4. The Programme shall support activities to tackle global societal challenges in the areas of strengthening democratic values and tackling disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), including rule of law and fundamental rights; promoting socio-economic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth, addressing demographic and intergenerational challenges, including from a youth perspective and including migration management and integration of migrants. |
| Text proposed by theCommission | Amendment |
| Article 16a (new) | |
| Governance of Defence-Related Activities under the EIC Accelerator | |
| 1. Defence-related actions under the EIC, which shall remain limited to the EIC Accelerator, shall be designed, selected and implemented in full alignment with the defence capability priorities commonly agreed by Member States within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), in particular in the context of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), and shall contribute to the sovereignty and independence of the Union. | |
| 2. The design, selection and implementation of defence-related actions under the EIC Accelerator shall remain fully subject to the evaluation procedures and excellence-based criteria of the EIC, as laid down in this Regulation. | |
| 3. The Commission shall ensure consistency of defence-related actions under the EIC Accelerator with other Union defence programmes and initiatives. The programming, selection and monitoring of defence-related EIC Accelerator actions shall be carried out in close coordination with relevant Commission services responsible for defence industry and space. | |
| 4. A dedicated Defence Investment Governance Board (‘The Board’) shall be established for advice on defence-related EIC Accelerator actions. The Board shall be chaired by the Commission and shall be composed of representatives of Member States, the European Defence Agency and the European Parliament. The Commission may also invite representatives of the defence and space industries, as well as independent experts, to the meetings of the Board. | |
| The Board shall: | |
| (a) provide strategic guidance on investment priorities based on the defence capability priorities commonly agreed by Member States within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), in particular in the context of the Capability Development Plan (CDP); | |
| (b) assess the consistency of proposed investments with Union capability needs; | |
| (c) advise on portfolio coherence and long-term capability impact. | |
| 5. In addition to the standard evaluation criteria applicable to the EIC Accelerator, defence-related actions shall be subject to: | |
| (a) an assessment of their contribution to Union defence capability priorities; | |
| (b) appropriate security and resilience checks, including security of supply considerations; and | |
| (c) compliance with applicable Union and national rules on security and export controls. | |
| 6. The Commission shall report regularly to the European Parliament and the Council on defence-related actions under the EIC Accelerator, including: | |
| (a) their alignment with the CDP; | |
| (b) their contribution to closing identified capability gaps; and | |
| (c) the participation of SMEs and start-ups across Member States. | |
| 7. Actions covered by this Article shall be implemented in full respect of applicable international law and shall comply with the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. |
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- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
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Cite as
European Parliament (2026). “DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695”. Text, 4 February 2026. docId SEDE-PA-782488. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/SEDE-PA-782488 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/SEDE-PA-782488 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-text-sede-pa-782488,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695}},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-02-04},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/SEDE-PA-782488}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/SEDE-PA-782488},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Text. docId SEDE-PA-782488. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}