On the proposal for a Council Decision on 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-PA-782490
Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Jüri Ratas
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.
The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed Council Decision setting up the Euratom research and training programme for 2028-2032, which complements Horizon Europe and covers the EU contribution to ITER.¶¶ It says the programme envelope should rise from EUR 9,784 billion to the figure in the interim report, and that staffing must be in place from the start of the next multiannual financial framework.¶¶ It asks for indicative budget amounts per objective, detailed legislation and governance, and clear treatment of any budgetary guarantee and borrowing and lending operations.¶¶¶ It calls for balanced opportunities across the Union, SME participation, oversight and control of funds, and measurable performance indicators.¶ It stresses that complementarity with Horizon Europe must not harm spending traceability, that external assigned revenue must be transparent and scrutinised, and that Parliament must be fully involved in the fusion energy strategy and its financing.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Budgets concludes that the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 9,784 billion, that human resources must be secured for the whole period, that indicative amounts per objective should be added, and that governance, oversight and transparency of funds and borrowing operations must be ensured.¶¶¶
Key points
- The Committee on Budgets carried out a budgetary assessment of the proposal under Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure.¶
- It considers the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 9,784 billion to the figure from the interim report, in current and 2025 prices.¶
- It says sufficient human resources must be available from the outset and throughout the next multiannual financial framework, including capacity-building for member states starting or expanding nuclear programmes.¶
- It regrets that Article 5 contains no indicative breakdown of the budget across objectives and believes indicative amounts should be given for each pillar.¶
- It insists that detailed and sound legislation with appropriate governance is needed for budgetary decision-making and parliamentary oversight, and that a steering mechanism cannot replace Parliament's powers.¶
- It stresses that the budgetary implications of borrowing and lending operations under the Euratom and ITER programme must be clearly identified, transparently presented and monitored, respecting the co-legislators and the budgetary authority.¶
- It calls for balanced distribution of opportunities across the Union, SME participation, robust oversight and control of funds, and clear, measurable performance indicators.¶
- It stresses that complementarity with Horizon Europe must not harm expenditure traceability, and that contributions from other programmes must be identifiable at all stages of the budgetary cycle.¶
- It says external assigned revenue under the programme must be fully transparent and subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and any amendment on it should be coordinated with the Committee on Budgets.¶
- It recalls the proposed regulation on a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework, and says changes to the programme's architecture, objectives and eligible actions must be reflected in the monitoring provisions of Annex I.¶
- It says Euratom's fusion energy actions will be guided by the forthcoming EU fusion energy strategy and supported through a public-private partnership, and calls for Parliament's full involvement in the strategy and its financing.¶
Who is affected
- Member states starting or expanding nuclear programmes: targeted capacity-building, training, knowledge transfer and expert mobility.¶¶
- Small and medium-sized enterprises: facilitated participation in the programme.¶
- Third countries and other donors contributing financially: their contributions are treated as external assigned revenue.¶
- The Fusion for Energy joint undertaking: delivers the EU contribution to the ITER project.¶