On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695
SEDE-AD-782488
Committee on Security and Defence · Rapporteur: Costas Mavrides
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 Security and Defence proposes amendments to the proposed Horizon Europe regulation for 2028-2034, which sets rules for participation and dissemination and repeals Regulation (EU) 2021/695.¶¶ The amendments add defence and dual-use themes: synergies with defence research and the European Competitiveness Fund, and a new article allowing dual-use actions only in calls explicitly designated as open to them.¶¶¶ They add rules on association of third countries for dual-use actions, a fast-track mechanism for promising defence applications, and conditions on security, resilience and export control.¶¶¶ They also amend provisions on the European Innovation Council, international cooperation, crisis and disaster research, democratic values and disinformation, and critical technologies for defence.¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Security and Defence proposes 13 amendments to the Horizon Europe proposal, adding defence and dual-use provisions, third-country association rules, a fast-track mechanism for defence applications, and changes on the EIC, international cooperation, crisis research and disinformation.¶¶
Key points
- Recital 2 would add that Horizon Europe should strengthen excellence, competitiveness, resilience, sustainability, technological leadership and social cohesion, with synergies with the defence research programme under the ECF Regulation.¶
- A new recital 2a would require structured coordination so results with potential defence applications can move from Horizon Europe to EU programmes for scale-up, industrialisation and deployment, especially the European Competitiveness Fund.¶
- A new recital 14a would keep research bottom-up and civilian but allow dual-use activities, limited to calls explicitly designated as open to them, with eligibility, security screening, result-protection and participation conditions.¶
- Recital 15 would have the European Innovation Council include a 'DARPA'-like approach for defence and dual-use startups, in complementarity with the ECF InvestEU Instrument, EUDIS and CASSINI.¶
- Recital 21 would promote cooperation with third countries, particularly neighbouring regions and candidate countries aligned with the Common Foreign and Security Policy, while barring hostile or potentially hostile third countries and strategic competitors from dual-use actions.¶
- Recital 22 would require eligibility and participation conditions for sensitive or dual-use technologies to reflect geographic scope and security requirements, with security, resilience and export-control considerations.¶
- Recital 23 would add hybrid attacks, critical dependencies, maritime situational awareness, maritime surveillance, protection of critical infrastructure and resilience of coastal and fisheries dependent communities to crisis and disaster research.¶
- Article 1(3) would add that activities under the defence research Specific Programme aim to foster the technological superiority, competitiveness, efficiency and innovation capacity of the European defence technological and industrial base.¶
- A new Article 5a would allow dual-use actions only where a work programme explicitly designates a call as open to them, only in chapters III and IV and at Technology Readiness Level 6 or above, without changing the civilian character of the regulation.¶
- A new Article 5b would allow association of third countries to dual-use actions only if they do not contravene EU security and defence interests, align with the CFSP, pose no risk to economic security or sanctions enforcement, and adhere to international law.¶
- A new Article 5c would have the Commission monitor projects, identify promising defence applications and ensure their swift uptake into European Competitiveness Fund work programmes, using prior evaluations and additional rules.¶
- Article 15(4) would add Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference to the societal challenges on democratic values and disinformation; Article 16(5) would let the EIC support critical technologies for defence with the ECF policy window on Resilience and Security, Defence Industry and Space.¶¶
Who is affected
- Research and innovation participants, who could take part in dual-use actions only in designated calls meeting security and eligibility conditions.¶¶
- Third countries and their entities, whose association to dual-use actions would depend on CFSP alignment, economic security and international law criteria.¶¶
- Defence and dual-use startups, which the European Innovation Council would support through a 'DARPA'-like approach.¶
- The European defence technological and industrial base, whose technological superiority, competitiveness, efficiency and innovation capacity the defence research programme would aim to foster.¶
- Coastal and fisheries dependent communities, whose resilience would be addressed in crisis and disaster research.¶
Figures and deadlines
- 2028-2034: the period of the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.¶
- Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6: minimum level for dual-use actions under new Article 5a.¶
- Article 136 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and Article 10 of Regulation (EU) XXX [European Competitiveness Fund]: provisions promoting competitiveness and protecting economic security.¶
- Articles 50 and 51 of Regulation (EU) XXX [European Competitiveness Fund]: to apply when the EIC supports critical technologies for defence.¶