Horizon Europe is not a lemon, so stop squeezing it

LERU strongly supports the EP’s commitment to increase the Horizon Europe 2024 budget, as proposed by the European Commission (EC), instead of cutting it as it is the intention of the ECOFIN Council. LERU also applauds the EP’s proposal to seek additional Member State funding for STEP, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, avoiding in this way the move of €800 million from Horizon Europe’s pillar II to the EIC Accelerator in pillar III, which would be used for STEP investments.

Horizon Europe is an ambitious R&I programme, with many different sub-programmes which have their own merit, are very popular with researchers and innovators, and have, in most cases, very low success rates. This proves there’s no spare money in Horizon Europe and no room for further budget cuts. Also, decommitments, funding which is not used in the year it was budgeted for, should stay within the programme to fund more high-quality proposals and increase success rates.

The Member States know all of this because they have put considerable time and effort in negotiating Horizon Europe in detail, and are involved in developing the work programmes for the different Horizon Europe funding streams. However, their constant pressure to reduce the EU (R&I) budget gets the upper hand. LERU therefor urges Member States to respect the engagements they have committed to through the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). Constantly pushing for the reduction of the EU (R&I) budget goes against these commitments. And, if the EU (i.e. the Member States) wants to address new priorities, then new funding needs to follow.

Prof. Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of LERU, states:

“We are hopeful that the EP’s common sense and proposals to protect and strengthen the Horizon Europe budget will prevail. We also call upon the EC to continue to protect Horizon Europe and its successor in the review of the current MFF and the proposal for the next one. Also, the EC should stop itself with proposing to move around Horizon Europe funding, in order to please the ECOFIN Council and the EP. There is simply not enough money in Horizon Europe, so what is there should stay there. Both the ECOFIN Council and the EC should be braver and acknowledge that if certain priorities need to be addressed at EU level, funding should follow. New priorities require new funding. Reason why LERU will continue to push for the ring-fencing of the FP budget, now and in the future. Horizon Europe is not a lemon, so stop squeezing it!”