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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2025/2951(RSP))

On the upcoming European Research Area (ERA) Act

B-10-2026-0156

on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy · Rapporteur: Eszter Lakos, Sofie Eriksson, Ivars Ijabs, Ville Niinistö

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's resolution on the upcoming European Research Area (ERA) Act supports aligning EU and national research priorities and calls for a binding framework to achieve the 3% of GDP R&D investment target. It recommends the ERA Act be a regulation, accompanied by a separate legislative proposal protecting freedom of scientific research, and calls for measures to strengthen governance, mobility, and innovation ecosystems.

Key points

  1. Supports aligning Union and national R&I priorities to increase cooperation, create effective governance, make research careers attractive, and achieve the 3% of GDP R&D investment target.
  2. Calls for a two-track approach combining voluntary cooperation under the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027 with legislative measures, including the ERA Act, to provide a binding and enforceable framework.
  3. Recommends the ERA Act be a regulation to achieve Article 179 TFEU objectives, ensuring direct applicability, stimulating private investment, and reducing single market fragmentation.
  4. Calls for a separate legislative proposal protecting freedom of scientific research, including minimum standards for researchers' rights, ethical conduct, integrity, and institutional independence.
  5. Calls for the ERA Act to include the Union target of at least 3% of Union GDP in R&D by 2030, complemented by national targets and roadmaps.
  6. Calls for provisions to strengthen private participation through public-private partnerships, complete the capital market union, and support regional innovation ecosystems.
  7. Calls on Member States to remove barriers to free circulation of researchers and knowledge, and enhance cross-border collaboration.
  8. Recommends the ERA Act use planning, measurable metrics, monitoring, reporting and evaluation tools, and balance research fields and basic and applied research.
  9. Calls for strengthened governance of the ERA and rationalisation of existing policy and monitoring instruments.
  10. Calls for stronger innovation ecosystems, addressing R&I disparities among Member States, and improving participation of lower-performing countries.
  11. Calls for measures to simplify researchers' career paths, improve mobility, mutual recognition of qualifications, and visa procedures; supports the European Charter for Researchers.
  12. Urges advancing gender equality and equal opportunities in R&I, decreasing the gender pay gap, and ensuring open and secure circulation of knowledge with ethical use of emerging technologies.

Who is affected

  • Researchers, especially young and early-career researchers, will benefit from simplified career paths, improved mobility, and visa procedures.
  • Universities, research organisations, start-ups, SMEs and industry will see enhanced cooperation and knowledge transfer.
  • Member States are called on to coordinate R&D investment and remove barriers to circulation.

Figures and deadlines

  • 3% of GDP: target for R&D investment, to be achieved by 2030.

Legal basis: Article 179 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union