EU member states still looking for reassurances about influence over FP10 priorities for 2028-2034

EU member states remain concerned about their control over priority setting for the next Horizon Europe programme (FP10) under the 2028-2034 budget.

In a progress report on discussions on the proposal for FP10 drawn up by Denmark, which holds the presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, member states are asking for more information about the steering mechanism which will decide the EU’s research priorities.

The report says “the follow-up information awaited from the Commission outlining the steering mechanism and competitiveness coordination tool - which are expected to contribute to top-down priority-setting and alignment between programmes - still constitutes a major unknown. It is also unclear to what extent and at which level member states will be involved”.

The Danish presidency paper continues: “One of the key outstanding questions is overall governance for the priority-setting process and member states’ involvement in it”. It states that the “overall strategic priority-setting process that ensures a strong advisory role for member states, and thereby their involvement…