• H2020
• Societal Challenges

The European Parliament’s Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) has approved the negotiation mandate on the participation of the EU in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA).

The agreed mandate requested PRIMA’s main objective to be the creation of sustainable agro-food systems and integrated water management in the Mediterranean region, in line with the priorities of Horizon 2020, the committee said in a press release.

MEPs emphasised the need for a ‘stable, long-term, common strategic agenda’ to be implemented by means of co-ordination among national programmes, and for strengthened research and innovation capacities.

A wide range of research and innovation activities can be financed under PRIMA, from training, awareness, and dissemination to research and innovation projects, under the conditions that they are included in an annual work plan.

Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia are the participating states, and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco will join them after the conclusion of the science and technology agreements with the EU.

The Union’s financial contribution to PRIMA will be €200m. The plenary needs to approve this mandate before the opening of the negotiations with the council.