MEPs reject cuts to research and innovation

MEPs have voted for a €242 million boost to Horizon Europe for next year, as part of a bid to head off a total of €1.52 million in cuts member states have proposed to the 2025 EU budget.

The European Parliament committee on budgets adopted its position on next year’s budget at a meeting in Strasbourg on Monday.

“The Council should listen to our reasonable proposal and stop obstructing the EU from acting in the best interests of our citizens,” said Victor Negrescu MEP, rapporteur for the 2025 budget, at the meeting.

The budget committee wants to see the budget restored to the figure initially proposed by the European Commission, which is lower than the 2024 and would mean there is about €200 million less for Horizon Europe.

The overall €95.5 billion research and innovation framework programme budget  was cut earlier this year by €2.1 billion, with €1.5 billion diverted to defence research, following an agreement by EU heads of state.

In addition to the €400 million removed from Horizon Europe, member states also agreed to a €295 million cut to the Erasmus+ student exchange programme.

Decommitted funds

On top of calling for the restoration of the €300 million cut proposed by the Council, the Parliament is focused on increasing EU funding for research and innovation. MEPs agreed to a €242 million increase to Horizon Europe, supplemented by €180 million from decommitted research funds and an additional €5 million to support SMEs.

Additional budget increases adopted by the Parliament prioritise health, education, agriculture, and the green and digital transitions.

The committee on budgets voted to boost health research by €110 million, with €50 million going to the EU4Health programme, to be directed at cardiovascular diseases, cancer, childhood illnesses and mental health. A further €50 million would go to the health cluster of Horizon Europe.

MEPs want to see an extra €70 million for Erasmus+ to expand access to the programme. In September, national governments  agreed to cut the student exchange programme by €295 million.

In addition, MEPs voted for a €15 million increase to the Digital Europe programme, while agriculture and environment would get a €96 million increase, including €49 million for the LIFE programme, supporting nature conservation, biodiversity and climate action.

All proposed increases would be added to the draft EU budget for 2025, as initially presented by the European Commission in June. The entire Parliament will vote on it during the plenary session from October 21 to 24, initiating three weeks of talks with the Council to finalise a deal by the year's end.

“Today’s vote in the committee on budgets showed that the Parliament’s position is constructive, strong, and argument-based, and proves that our role as budgetary authority is key to the balance of powers in the EU” said Negrescu.

Higher investment for EU research

Meanwhile, discussions over the next framework programme, FP10 continue.

Research and innovation stakeholders want the budget to be doubled to €200 billion, but circulating rumours about the uncertain future of FP10 are causing concern within the European research and innovation community.

Following Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement of the portfolios of the incoming commissions, there is speculation in Brussels about whether FP10 will retain its current three-pillar structure as a standalone programme in the next multiannual budget, or if parts of it will be absorbed into the proposed Competitiveness Fund.

Last week, German MEP Christian Ehler warned that the EU needs to make a careful assessment of whether it makes sense to integrate research into a competitiveness fund, and said FP10’s structure will be decided in the coming weeks.