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BUDGETARY ASSESSMENT (COM(2025)0555 – C100165/2025 – 2025/0555(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (‘ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, and amending Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, (EU) [EDIP]

BUDG-AD-787644

Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Stine Bosse

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The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) regulation to the lead committee. It asks for a larger ECF envelope, a detailed budget breakdown and nomenclature, stronger governance and oversight, and a bigger EU guarantee. It wants the ECF envelope raised from EUR 234.3 billion to EUR 264.35 billion, the EU guarantee raised to EUR 150 billion, and the minimum InvestEU support raised to at least EUR 40 billion. It asks for a detailed budgetary nomenclature in an annex, multiannual programming of the ECF InvestEU Instrument, and 70 % of the EU guarantee under the EU compartment for the European Investment Bank Group. It calls for robust expenditure tracking, performance reporting, fraud prevention and audit frameworks, and for revenue, surplus provisioning and defence research decommitments to stay within the ECF.

Committee position. The Committee on Budgets proposes that the lead committee amend the proposal to increase the ECF envelope and EU guarantee, add a detailed budgetary nomenclature in an annex, strengthen governance and oversight, and improve the InvestEU Instrument's programming and continuity.

Key points

  1. The Committee on Budgets carried out a budgetary assessment of the ECF proposal under Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure.
  2. It considers the ECF envelope should be increased from EUR 234.3 billion (EUR 207.4 billion in 2025 prices) to EUR 264.35 billion (EUR 234 billion in 2025 prices).
  3. It says sufficient human, technical and IT resources must be available from the outset and throughout the 2028-2034 MFF.
  4. It deplores the limited budget breakdown and the lack of a detailed indicative budgetary nomenclature, and recommends breaking the envelope down by expenditure category and a more detailed nomenclature.
  5. It says the nomenclature must follow Article 47(2) of the Financial Regulation, be set in an annex, form part of Parliament's negotiating position, and the revised LFDS must be part of the final agreement.
  6. It insists on sound governance: a balanced ECF Strategic Stakeholder Board, an independent Investment Committee with external experts and a secretariat, conflict-of-interest rules, and Parliament's involvement in the Competitiveness Coordination Tool.
  7. It says all substantive policy choices must be determined in the ECF basic act, with non-essential elements adopted only through delegated acts.
  8. It says the maximum EU guarantee should be increased to EUR 150 billion and welcomes the 50 % provisioning rate.
  9. It expresses concern that minimum EU support through the InvestEU Instrument is only EUR 17 billion with a guarantee of only EUR 14 billion, and recommends at least EUR 40 billion and EUR 2 billion for advisory services.
  10. It recommends a policy steer with minimum amounts per policy window, priority for the ECF InvestEU Instrument, excellence-based allocation, and topping up existing guarantee agreements for continuity.
  11. It recommends multiannual programming through investment guidelines adopted by delegated acts, 70 % of the EU guarantee under the EU compartment for the EIB Group, and provisions on guarantee agreements and a 90 % confidence level for provisioning.
  12. It calls for traceable complementarity with other programmes, circumscribed external assigned revenue, consistency with the performance regulation, rule-of-law conditionality, keeping revenue and decommitments in the ECF, and harmonised anti-fraud and audit frameworks.

Who is affected

  • The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the lead committee, which is asked to amend the proposal on several points.
  • The Commission, which would gain latitude over spending priorities and is asked to provide more detail and oversight.
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, scale-ups and small mid-caps, which should access funding more swiftly.
  • The European Investment Bank Group, which is proposed to receive 70 % of the EU guarantee under the EU compartment.
  • Implementing partners and the Investment Committee, which would operate under new governance, transparency and conflict-of-interest rules.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 234.3 billion (EUR 207.4 billion in 2025 prices) — current ECF envelope proposed to be increased.
  • EUR 264.35 billion (EUR 234 billion in 2025 prices) — recommended increased ECF envelope.
  • EUR 150 billion — recommended maximum amount of the EU guarantee.
  • 50 % — provisioning rate welcomed by the committee.
  • EUR 17 billion, with a guarantee of only EUR 14 billion — minimum EU support through the InvestEU Instrument.
  • EUR 29 billion — InvestEU guarantee, compared with the minimum guarantee.
  • at least EUR 40 billion — recommended minimum amount of support.
  • EUR 2 billion — recommended initial amount for advisory services.