On the proposal for a Council regulation establishing the research and training programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for the period 2028-2032, complementing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and providing for the Community’s contribution to the ITER project, and repealing Regulation (Euratom) 2025/1304
BUDG-AD-782490
Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Jüri Ratas
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The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed Council regulation for the Euratom research and training programme 2028-2032, which complements Horizon Europe and funds the ITER project.¶¶ It takes note of the proposed EUR 9 784 billion envelope and asks for sufficient resources from the start and throughout the 2028-2034 MFF.¶¶ It regrets the absence of an indicative budget breakdown in Article 5 and the lack of a detailed nomenclature in the financial statement, and recommends a more detailed nomenclature and an annex defining it.¶¶ It insists that substantive policy choices be set in the basic act, that the steering mechanism not replace Parliament's powers, and that borrowing and lending be transparent and monitored.¶¶¶ It calls for balanced opportunities, less administrative burden for SMEs, clear indicators, and traceable complementarity with Horizon Europe and external assigned revenue.¶¶¶ It recalls the performance regulation and the Financial Regulation's conditionality and Charter requirements, and says fusion actions should follow the forthcoming EU fusion strategy under a public-private partnership with European ownership.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Budgets recommends that the lead committee amend the proposal to include an indicative budget breakdown, a detailed budgetary nomenclature with an annex, stronger governance and control provisions, and safeguards on borrowing, external assigned revenue and complementarity with Horizon Europe.¶¶¶
Key points
- Takes note of the Commission proposal for a programme envelope of EUR 9 784 billion for 2028-2032 for fission safety, fusion research and the ITER project.¶
- Considers that sufficient human, technical and IT resources must be available from the outset and throughout the 2028-2034 MFF, including capacity-building for Member States starting or expanding nuclear programmes.¶
- Stresses the need to enhance technical, engineering and professional training with universities, research centres, businesses and higher technical institutes, and to attract researchers, engineers and young talent to Europe.
- Regrets that Article 5 contains no indicative breakdown of the budget across objectives and recommends breaking down the overall envelope to reflect the programme's strands.¶
- Deplores the lack of a sufficiently detailed indicative budgetary nomenclature in the Legislative Financial and Digital Statement and recommends a more detailed nomenclature, with an annex defining it, to be part of the negotiating position and final agreement.¶
- Insists that sufficiently detailed legislation and appropriate governance are conditions for budgetary decision-making, and that the steering mechanism cannot substitute Parliament's legislative and budgetary powers.¶
- Believes all substantive policy choices, such as objectives, spending priorities, financial allocations, eligibility conditions and selection criteria, must be determined in the basic act.¶
- Stresses that the budgetary implications of borrowing and lending under the programme and ITER must be clearly identified, transparently presented and monitored, and calls on the Commission and F4E to report regularly on costs, delays and milestones.¶
- Highlights balanced distribution of opportunities across the EU, participation of SMEs, reduced administrative burden for smaller entities, and clear, measurable, performance-based indicators.¶
- Stresses that complementarity with Horizon Europe must not harm traceability of expenditure or budgetary authority prerogatives, and that contributions must be identifiable at all stages of the budgetary cycle.¶
- Stresses that external assigned revenue must be clearly circumscribed, transparent and subject to parliamentary scrutiny, with cooperation with non-EU countries aligned with EU strategic interests and protection of sensitive technologies and intellectual property.¶
- Recalls the performance regulation and the Financial Regulation's conditionality regime and Charter compliance, and says fusion actions will follow the forthcoming EU fusion strategy under a public-private partnership prioritising European ownership and fair access.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Member States starting or expanding nuclear programmes, which would receive tailored capacity-building support.¶
- Small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps, which should face less administrative burden and better access to supply chains.¶¶
- The Commission, which would need to provide a more detailed budgetary nomenclature and regular ITER reporting.¶¶
- Fusion for Energy, which would need to report accurately on ITER costs, delays and milestones.
- Non-EU countries and other donors contributing external assigned revenue, whose contributions must be traceable and aligned with EU interests.¶