FP10 negotiations: "Widening is not a financial deal between Member States" (Christian Ehler)

"Widening is not a financial deal between Member States; reducing it to budgetary negotiation undermines its purpose. That’s why the bracketing of the widening article by the Danish Presidency is so problematic. We must integrate widening into the Horizon discussion and not leave it to those unfamiliar with the issue", states Christian Ehler, German MEP and rapporteur for previous R&I framework programmes, on 14/10/2025 during a high-level discussion on Unifying European R&I for Global Leadership and Competitiveness hosted by MEP Eszter Lakos.

Christian Ehler is referring to the content of a Council of the EU document explaining that some provisions of the FP10 and ECF (European Competitiveness Fund) proposals, like the widening topic, have been placed in brackets, removing them from the remit of the research ministers.

He says that the negotiations should not divide widening and "excellence" countries, as "negotiating the Framework Programme will be much more complex than reducing it to that. We have some delicate questions to answer in terms of governance, and there are many…