EP pressure sees smaller cut to H2020 budget
A UK MEP has welcomed the news that planned cuts to the budget of Horizon 2020 have been reduced by €500m.
The Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder said the move was a “victory” for both the European Parliament and the continent’s scientific community, citing the pressure from MEPs and scientists as resulting in the reduction.
Trialogue talks were concluded in the early hours of this morning in Brussels between the European Parliament, European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Negotiators agreed that €2.2bn will be taken from Horizon 2020 in order to help finance the new European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), part of the Investment Plan for Europe.
Under Commission plans, it was originally proposed that there would be cuts of €2.7bn from the European research and innovation framework programme. Under the deal, funding for the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions will be ringfenced.
Commenting on the outcome, Bearder said: “The scaling back of these cuts and ringfencing of key programmes is a victory for the European Parliament and for science in Europe. You cannot lay the foundations for future growth by cutting investment in innovation.
“But questions remain over the impact the remaining cuts will have. The Commission must explain how it will ensure that these cuts do not undermine the EU’s competitiveness and long term economic future. Each and every euro being taken from Horizon 2020 must end up delivering the same or greater amount of investment in research.”
Taking part in the discussions on behalf of the European Commission were Vice-Presidents Kristalina Georgieva, responsible for Budget and Human Resources, and Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness.
Commenting, Katainen said he was pleased that an agreement was reached, adding: “We are counting on Parliament and Council to give the final approval in June so we can have EFSI up and running in autumn.”
The EFSI is expected to become operational and start financing projects at the end of the summer.
