Parliament seeks €60M boost for Horizon Europe in 2026

The European Parliament is calling for a €60 million increase in funding for Horizon Europe in 2026, along with the reversal of budget cuts proposed by the EU Council. 

“Horizon is one of the Union's key programmes to improve Europe's competitiveness and innovation to drive investments,” said Matjaž Nemec, a Socialist and Democrats MEP and co-rapporteur of the 2026 general budget report outlining Parliament’s position, speaking to Science|Business after the Strasbourg plenary vote on October 22. “Despite the different positions, a compromise on the overall budget will need to be found.”

In addition to the vote on the budget figures, MEPs also approved a second report explaining the reasoning behind its position. The text passed with 384 votes in favour, 202 against and 58 abstentions.

The ongoing wrangling over the research budget comes as the Parliament and Council prepare their positions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which in the Commission’s proposal foresees doubling the Horizon Europe budget and adding the European Competitiveness Fund at the expense of cohesion and agricultural spending. 

In this context, the annual budget negotiations offer an early glimpse of what research and innovation stakeholders can expect in the lead-up to a broader deal for the 2028–34 MFF.

“This has traditionally been the case in the EU budgetary negotiations: the Parliament defends the adequate financing of EU priorities, while the member states try to reduce their national contributions to the EU budget,” Siegfried Mureşan, the European People’s Party MEP who co-wrote the Parliament’s report on the EU’s next MFF, told Science|Business. “The best solution for proper financing of EU priorities [. . .] is the introduction of new own resources,” he said, referring to the proposed introduction new sources of revenue, such as environmental levies, alongside national contributions to the EU budget.

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In September, the Council proposed cuts of €1.3 billion in commitment appropriations across the EU’s 2026 budget, including a €211.2 million reduction for Horizon Europe, as well as cuts to Erasmus+ and the EU4Health programme.

In response, the Parliament agreed to restore the €1.3 billion along with an additional €597.8 million to strengthen investment in strategic areas. These increases include €60 million for Horizon Europe and €5 million each for EU4Health and Erasmus+. Overall, MEPs set a 2026 budget proposal of €193.9 billion ahead of negotiations with EU governments.

Co-rapporteur Andrzej Halicki, from the EPP, called the Council’s cuts “unjustified.” Reversing them would strengthen research, innovation and competitiveness in the EU, along with preparedness, health and education, environmental sustainability and defence policy.

"While I cannot speak for the Council, [. . .] in the Parliament we believe we need to respond to the real needs of our citizens and EU institutions to be able to carry on their work,” Nemec said.

The vote in the Parliament opened three weeks of negotiations with the Council. On November 4, the Parliament and the Council will hold a joint negotiation session along with the Commission, to discuss and try to resolve remaining disagreements about the 2026 financial framework. 

“Bearing in mind that the financial resources in the next year budgets are very limited, let me assure you that the Commission will act as an honest broker,” said Piotr Serafin, the commissioner responsible for the budget, in a debate with the Parliament on October 21. “I am convinced that the key to successful negotiations lies in both institutions setting clear priorities,” he said.