Skip to content
DRAFT REPORT (COM(2023)0359 – C90213/2023 – 2023/0207(COD))

On the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision (EU) 2017/1324 as regards the continuation of the Union’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) under Horizon Europe

ITRE-PR-752796

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy · Rapporteur: Paolo Borchia

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull text
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 26 Sept 2026

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.

This is the rapporteur's draft report on the Commission proposal to continue the Union's participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) under Horizon Europe. The draft report adopts a first-reading position and proposes a limited number of amendments to the Commission proposal. It adds new recitals on PRIMA's strategic value, its link to migration policy, and the need to avoid overlaps with other Union instruments. It amends the evaluation rules so that actions under Horizon 2020 are assessed under Horizon 2020 standards, and sets interim and final evaluation deadlines. It strengthens the European Parliament's access to information on indirect actions funded by PRIMA. It deletes the provision on the Commission's ongoing assessment of commitments by Participating States.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes to approve the Commission proposal with a limited number of amendments: adding recitals on PRIMA's strategic value and avoiding overlaps, adjusting evaluation benchmarks so Horizon 2020 actions are assessed under Horizon 2020 standards, strengthening Parliament's access to information, and deleting the provision on the Commission's ongoing assessment of Participating States' commitments.

Key points

  1. The draft report adopts Parliament's first-reading position on the proposal to continue PRIMA under Horizon Europe.
  2. It calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amend its proposal.
  3. A new recital states that PRIMA is a positive choice for developing countries of strategic relevance to the Union, in line with the Global Gateway communication of 1 December 2021.
  4. A new recital recalls the Commission's 7 June 2016 communication on a new Partnership Framework with third countries, which emphasised addressing root causes of migration and focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sustainable infrastructure.
  5. A new recital says possible overlaps between PRIMA and other Horizon Europe projects or Union instruments such as the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) should be avoided.
  6. Recital 15 is amended to require evaluations to assess PRIMA's quality and efficiency and progress towards objectives throughout its life-cycle, including under both Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
  7. The provision requiring the Commission to assess on an ongoing basis the fulfilment of commitments by Participating States and to take appropriate measures is deleted.
  8. The PRIMA-IS must give the European Parliament and authorities of Participating States access to information on indirect actions involving beneficiaries in their territories, limited to non-commercial and non-competitive use and subject to confidentiality rules.
  9. The Commission must conduct an interim evaluation by 31 December 2025 and a final evaluation by 31 December 2031, with external independent experts, and assess Horizon 2020 actions under Horizon 2020 standards.

Who is affected

  • The Commission, which must conduct evaluations by set deadlines and provide information access.
  • The PRIMA-IS, which must provide access to information on indirect actions to Parliament and Participating States.
  • The European Parliament, which gains access to information on indirect actions for oversight.
  • Participating States, whose authorities gain access to information on indirect actions in their territories.

Figures and deadlines

  • 31 December 2025: deadline for the Commission's interim evaluation of PRIMA.
  • 31 December 2031: deadline for the Commission's final evaluation of PRIMA.
  • 1 December 2021: date of the Commission's communication on The Global Gateway.
  • 7 June 2016: date of the Commission's communication on establishing a new Partnership Framework with third countries.
  • Between 2018 and 2022, PRIMA funded 202 projects worth 285.7 million in total.

Legal basis: Article 294(2), Article 185 and the second paragraph of Article 188 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.