MEPs carry research files into 2025

Members of the European Parliament are returning to tasks begun in the dying days of 2024, including a number of inquiries relating to research and innovation. Meanwhile, work is beginning on some major portfolios, not least for the next EU budget.

The Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy closed December with three own-initiative reports under way. Rather than responding to legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission, these initiatives seek to shape or request legislation from the Commission. 

The most advanced of these initiatives evaluates the implementation of Horizon Europe and outlines recommendations for FP10, the next research Framework Programme. German MEP Christian Ehler is leading this initiative and presented his first draft report in November. 

Amendments to the draft were submitted by MEPs in early December, and negotiations for a final draft of the report will continue until February 19, when a committee vote is scheduled. Final adoption in a plenary session is expected in the spring.

The other two own-initiative reports are still in their early stages. Both have only recently been allocated to working groups, and drafts are still in preparation. 

The first report will address the future of the EU biotechnology and biomanufacturing sector, and will be led by German MEP Hildegard Bentele. 

The second will cover European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure. This has been assigned to the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group, but no lead MEP has been announced. 

Meanwhile, on January 29 the committee will vote on the renewal of the agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European community and Ukraine. 

Preparing the budget

Elsewhere in the Parliament, the Budget Committee is working on a report outlining general guidelines for preparing the 2026 budget. The draft, prepared by Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki, calls for additional investment in research, innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises, health, energy, border protection, and the digital and green transitions. In particular, it reaffirms that “research and innovation remain crucial for the EU’s success in cutting-edge industries and new clean technologies.”

The draft will be debated on January 29 and MEPs will have until February 21 to submit amendments.

Meanwhile, talks are about to begin on the EU’s next long-term budget, or Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which runs from 2028 to 2034. This will determine the budget for FP10.

The Commission is due to present its first draft proposal for the next MFF before July 1. This will clarify key priorities for funding, how the budget will be structured, how large it should be, and how it will be financed. The proposal for a research Framework Programme typically follows the MFF and is shaped by its decisions.

Recent developments suggest the EU budget structure might change, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hinting at a shift from a programme-based to a policy-based approach.

Suggestions that the Commission may bundle all research and innovation funds into a new competitiveness fund have also raised questions about the continued existence of a standalone research Framework Programme. 

When asked by Science|Business last December, the Parliament’s rapporteur for the post-2027 long-term EU budget, Siegfried Mureşan, reassured the research community. He stressed the need for targeted funding tailored to researchers’ specific needs, calling for a continuation of specific funding to researchers.

The Parliament aims to have an initial draft of the MFF ready by the end of January, with plenary discussions expected in April or May. 

Pharmaceuticals and AI

On health, proposals to reform EU pharmaceutical legislation in order to stimulate innovation and improve access to medicine are up for debate in the first part of 2025. The Parliament adopted its position on the reform in April 2024, and MEPs expressed their willing to close the package by 2025. 

Negotiations are now in the hands of the Council. Poland has made health one of the focal points of its presidency agenda and said it will keep working on the revision of pharmaceutical legislation.

An agreement between member states could be reached in the first half of 2025, depending on the progress of negotiations, a Council official told Science|Business in December. 

Finally, nearly a year after MEPs approved the Artificial Intelligence Act, designed to harmonise rules on AI systems across all 27 EU member states, the legislation is set to be implemented this year, with certain AI practices banned starting February 2.

Later in April, the final version of the general-purpose AI code of practice is expected to be published, and by August 2 rules on general-purpose AI start to apply.