Christian Ehler appointed rapporteur for the European Competitiveness Fund

Christian Ehler, a German MEP representing the EPP group in the Itre committee of the European Parliament, has been appointed rapporteur for the European Competitiveness Fund, EP sources told News Tank on 03/11/2025.

After being given responsibility for the third consecutive time to negotiate the R&I Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, he also has the responsibility to do the same for this other important file of the Commission's proposal for the MFF 2028-2034, which will be tightly linked to the first.

The investment instrument, which brings total EU investment in competitiveness and research for 2028-2034 to €451 Bn, is designed to strengthen Europe’s technological and industrial leadership in the face of global competition. It unifies existing financing programmes (Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, Digital Europe, the European Defence Fund, Life) to support the entire process from research to market.

The ECF will operate through four policy "windows":
• Clean Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation;
• Digital Leadership;
• Health, Biotech, Agriculture and Bioeconomy;
• and…