Five months after the European Commission put forward its €2 trillion proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s seven-year budget, together with its plans for the EU’s 10th research and innovation framework programme (FP10), Horizon Europe, with a proposed budget of €175 billion—representing a significant increase compared to the current €95.5 billion programme—negotiations on both files for the 2028–2034 period have kicked off in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

On 5 November, the European Parliament notably appointed the lead rapporteurs on all the key files, with Christian Ehler, a German conservative sitting on the ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) committee designated as the Rapporteur for Framework Programme 10. He will also be the co-rapporteur of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) – a new instrument within the EU budget aimed at streamlining funding programmes to boost investment in strategic sectors - alongside Socialist MEP Dan Nica. In addition, René Repasi, a socialist MEP, was appointed rapporteur for the Horizon Europe Specific Programme file, a complementary implementing legislation.  

Christian Ehler, a seasoned MEP who joined the European Parliament in 2004, has since been an influential voice for European research and innovation: he acted as rapporteur for both Horizon 2020 (FP8) and FP9, the current Horizon Europe programme, in addition to chairing the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA). In the context of the current FP10 discussions, he has been quite vocal in his defence of a large budget for FP10, reaching €200 to €220 billion, in line with the Draghi and Heitor reports and the demands of the research community.

In a position that appears to be shared by a majority in the European Parliament, Ehler has also stressed the importance of maintaining FP10’s independence when defining its relationship with the new European Competitiveness Fund. Current parliamentary planning points to a draft report by 10 April 2026, followed by a vote in the ITRE Committee on 10 September and a plenary vote during the subsequent session in October. Still, little clarity has emerged on how the ECF and FP10 will interact, with many fearing that centralised control and a top-down approach could weaken collaborative efforts and excellence.

In their latest draft interim report, the European Parliament’s rapporteurs for the MFF from the Budgets committee, Siegfried Mureşan and Carla Tavares share the same concerns, stating that “the consolidation of programmes in the Competitiveness Fund reduces transparency” and that funding visibility for individual priorities must be maintained.  

In parallel, under the leadership of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Member States have also progressed in establishing their positions on the MFF, ECF and FP10, with the Cypriot and Irish presidencies set to continue working on the files in 2026. Research Ministers have already held several formal debates on Horizon Europe – on 30 September and 9 December – and sources expect the outline of the Council’s position to be agreed by the summer. In addition, the Working Party on Research has met regularly to advance negotiations.  

Similarly to the European Parliament, Member States have expressed the importance of clarifying the functioning of the European Competitiveness Fund, particularly its steering mechanism and competitiveness coordination tool, as well as its links to the EU’s research and innovation programme. They have also highlighted the importance of several cross-cutting considerations long advocated by EERA, including striking an appropriate balance between flexibility and predictability in programme implementation, meaningful simplification to reduce administrative burdens, support for interdisciplinarity, and the systematic integration of social sciences and humanities to ensure societal relevance and impact.

Many topics remain contentious, such as the future of the of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), as well as that of Widening programme – for now resting in the hands of the ad hoc Council Working Party on the multiannual budget composed of foreign affairs and finance diplomats, as opposed to research experts. Besides, the option currently on the table to open FP10 to dual use research is also under scrutiny. While several Member States have welcomed the proposition, the modalities of such a change remain undecided as of now. The future of partnerships has also come into question. Their importance has been repeatedly outlined, but it is unclear how many will continue existing as the European Commission hinted to a narrower portfolio centred on a limited number of priorities.  

Meanwhile, the Council still reached on 15 December the first partial agreement on an MFF proposal, namely the establishment of the Connecting Europe Facility for the period 2028–2034, on transport and energy, which supports investments in strategic infrastructure. The partial mandate will be completed by further negotiations as part of the MFF, which will undoubtedly intensify next year. As the voice of the low-carbon energy research and innovation community in Europe, EERA is actively engaged in the ongoing discussions and will continue to advocate for a robust and fit-for-purpose EU budget that safeguards the integrity of FP10, while ensuring coherence and sustained investment across the full research and innovation pipeline, through to market uptake. This is essential to support the clean energy transition and to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy.