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

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

BUDG-AD-782455

Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Olivier Chastel

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The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed Council decision setting up the Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe for 2028-2034. It says the programme envelope should rise from EUR 154 billion to EUR 200 billion in current prices (EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices). It asks for stable resources for the whole period, simpler financial rules, detailed budget lines, and delegated acts for work programmes that take significant budget decisions. It wants clear, predictable budgets for the ERC, the EIC and European partnerships. It calls for Horizon Europe allocations to stay identifiable and traceable, for Parliament to get timely information on work programmes, and for action to close the research gap between member states. It submits three amendments: two new recitals on budget nomenclature and on the budgetary assessment, and a change to Article 3(1) setting the programme envelope at EUR 200 003 562 000 in current prices (EUR 177 010 000 000 in 2025 prices).

Committee position. The Committee on Budgets proposes increasing the programme envelope to EUR 200 billion in current prices, ensuring stable resources, simplifying rules, requiring delegated acts for work programmes with significant budget decisions, and securing clear budgets for the ERC, EIC and partnerships. It submits three amendments to the draft proposal.

Key points

  1. The programme envelope should be increased from EUR 154 billion to EUR 200 billion in current prices (EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices) to boost innovation in strategic sectors and support European research.
  2. Sufficient human, technical and IT resources must be available from the outset and throughout the 2028-2034 period, with clear and predictable allocations so bodies such as the ERC and EIC have stable staff.
  3. The administrative burden for beneficiaries should be reduced and financial rules further simplified, especially on personnel costs, with streamlined reporting.
  4. Because the programme is less detailed than earlier ones, work programmes taking significant budget decisions should be adopted as delegated acts, not implementing acts, and detailed budget lines are needed for oversight.
  5. Horizon Europe allocations should remain clearly identifiable and traceable, including when actions are programmed with other Union instruments, and the programme should keep its autonomous character.
  6. Parliament should receive timely information on the adoption of work programmes, their calls, the financial allocation per action and its consistency with the basic act.
  7. Collaborative research is the backbone of the framework programme and a driver of the European Research Area, pooling excellence and addressing shared challenges.
  8. European partnerships should pursue European added value, transparency and openness, with a clear and predictable budget and transparent reporting on Union and partner contributions.
  9. The ERC is a key institution for basic research and lacks a specific budget; it should get clear, predictable and sufficiently ambitious funding, and the EIC should get a clear budget for funding disruptive innovation.
  10. The independence of the ERC and EIC must be guaranteed, and a clear budget nomenclature is needed to ensure the budgetary authority's decision-making and scrutiny powers.
  11. The persistent structural gap in research and innovation between member states should be addressed with strengthened efforts.
  12. Any change to the programme's architecture, objectives and eligible actions must be reflected in Annex I of the performance regulation, and sectoral legislation must stay consistent with it; rule-of-law conditionality applies and a comprehensive ex ante screening in award procedures is called for.

Who is affected

  • Research and innovation beneficiaries, who would face reduced administrative burden and simplified financial rules.
  • The European Research Council and the European Innovation Council, which should receive clear, predictable budgets and stable human resources.
  • European partnerships, which should pursue European added value, transparency and openness with clear budgets.
  • Member states, which must ensure compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights and EU values in budget implementation.
  • The Commission, which should adopt work programmes with significant budget decisions as delegated acts and provide Parliament with timely information.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 200 billion, the increased budget for the programme supported by the Draghi report.
  • 12 % in Horizon 2020 to 16.4 % in Horizon Europe, the average proposal success rate (from 9 % to 14 % in Widening Countries).
  • 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 to be dedicated to research and development by 2030.
  • EUR 154 billion to EUR 200 billion in current prices (EUR 177 billion in 2025 prices), the proposed increase of the programme envelope.
  • EUR 200 003 562 000 in current prices (EUR 177 010 000 000 in 2025 prices), the programme envelope in Amendment 3.