Ehler says FP10-ECF link is key point of tension in Parliament-Council talks

Christian Ehler, the German centre-right MEP who drafted the European Parliament's position on Horizon Europe, has said the governance of Pillar 2 dedicated to competitiveness was "a point of fundamental disagreement" between the EP and the Council.

On 01/09/2026, James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, outlined the priorities for Ireland’s rotating presidency of the Council, which will run until the end of December 2026, to the EP's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

Ehler was the first to question the minister on the content of the agreements between member states on Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), the European Commission’s new programme which is "closely linked" to Horizon Europe through the…