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BUDGETARY ASSESSMENT (COM(2025)0543 – C100164/2025 – 2025/0543(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council 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

BUDG-AD-782453

Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Hélder Sousa Silva

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The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed Horizon Europe programme for 2028-2034 and submits nine amendments to the draft regulation. It asks for the programme envelope to rise from EUR 154 billion to EUR 200 billion (EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices), with enough staff and IT resources from the start. It wants fixed indicative sub-envelopes for every pillar and sub-programme, and a more detailed budget nomenclature than the 7 amounts and 5 budget lines proposed. It calls for Horizon Europe to stay a self-standing programme, coordinated with the European Competitiveness Fund, with spending priorities set in the basic act and delegated acts. It asks for resources for security, dual-use and defence research, support for the EIT and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities, and continued backing for the European Innovation Council and the Scaleup Europe Fund. It seeks simpler procedures for applicants, transparent use of external assigned revenue, and full re-use of research decommitments and reflows from financial instruments.

Committee position. The Committee on Budgets proposes a larger programme envelope of EUR 200 billion, fixed indicative sub-envelopes for every pillar and sub-programme, a more detailed budget nomenclature, and nine amendments to the draft regulation on budget predictability, decommitment re-use and the European Innovation Council.

Key points

  1. The programme envelope should be increased from EUR 154 billion to EUR 200 billion, or EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices, to fund all priorities and objectives.
  2. Sufficient human, technical and IT resources must be available from the outset and throughout the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework.
  3. Interventions under Heading 2 of the next MFF and Horizon Europe should focus on closing the innovation gap, moving research to market and giving EU businesses a technological edge.
  4. Significant resources should go to security, dual-use and defence-related technologies and research projects; the Commission's proposed defence research programme under the European Competitiveness Fund is noted.
  5. Indicative sub-envelopes should be fixed for every pillar and sub-programme in the basic act, because the proposed Article 6 breakdown has only 7 indicative amounts at item level.
  6. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology should get adequate financial and human resources to support the Knowledge and Innovation Communities and fulfil its future mandate.
  7. Horizon Europe should remain a fully autonomous programme, coordinated with the European Competitiveness Fund and other EU programmes, with any cross-contribution reflected in the programme performance statement.
  8. The structural research and innovation gap between Member States should be bridged, and predictable annual resources ensured for long-term research projects.
  9. A more detailed budget nomenclature is needed than the 5 budget lines in the Legislative Financial and Digital Statement, and the revised statement must form part of the final political agreement.
  10. All substantive policy choices, including spending priorities and financial allocations, must be set in the basic act, with non-essential elements adopted through delegated acts.
  11. Borrowing and lending operations under a budgetary guarantee must be clearly identified and monitored, with access to auditable data and audit rights for the European Court of Auditors.
  12. The Scaleup Europe Fund should continue its mission within the European Innovation Council, with targeted exemptions from the Financial Regulation where justified, and administrative procedures should be simplified for smaller projects, SMEs and start-ups.

Who is affected

  • Researchers, innovators and small and medium-sized enterprises: fixed sub-envelopes and simpler procedures would give them predictable funding and easier access.
  • The Commission: it would have less latitude to shift spending priorities during implementation and would need a more detailed budget nomenclature.
  • The European Institute of Innovation and Technology: it would receive adequate financial and human resources for its future mandate.
  • European deep-tech start-ups and scale-ups: the European Innovation Council and the Scaleup Europe Fund would keep supporting them through the next MFF.
  • Member States with weaker research performance: efforts to bridge the structural research and innovation gap would be strengthened.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 200 billion: the increased programme budget the Draghi report supports and the committee asks for.
  • EUR 154 billion: the programme envelope the committee wants increased.
  • EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices: the equivalent figure the committee gives for the increased envelope.
  • 12 % in Horizon 2020 to 16.4 % in Horizon Europe: the average success rate cited from the interim evaluation.
  • 9 % to 14 % in the widening countries: the success rate increase cited from the interim evaluation.
  • 30 % of high-quality proposals could be financed; an additional EUR 81.8 billion would have been needed to fund them all.
  • 3 % of GDP for research and development by 2030: the target restated in the Budapest declaration.
  • 7 indicative amounts at item level compared to 15 in 2021-2027; 5 budget lines compared to 44 in 2021-2027.

Legal basis: Article 310(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.