Parliament Committee Seeks €200 Billion for Europe’s Next Research Programme

The European Parliament’s industry and research committee has backed a position seeking €200 billion for Horizon Europe in 2028-2034, according to a statement published by the European People’s Party Group on 10 November.

The group said the compromise was supported by the EPP, Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe and the Greens. It described the proposed research programme as closely connected to the European Competitiveness Fund, with the aim of helping scientific advances become competitive businesses.

Christian Ehler, Parliament’s chief negotiator on the file and the EPP’s research policy spokesman, argued that increasing investment must go alongside changes to how the programme operates. The group’s statement highlighted an independent framework programme, expert-led governance and stronger support for disruptive innovation.

The €200 billion figure is a negotiating demand described in a political group’s account of the committee position. It is not an agreed allocation in the EU’s next long-term budget, nor does the statement establish that the full Parliament has completed its legislative work.

The debate concerns both the size of European research funding and its relationship with industrial policy. A larger programme could expand support for laboratories, universities and innovative businesses, but the eventual resources will depend on negotiations over the EU’s next spending framework.

The distinction between committee support and a final funding settlement matters: researchers cannot yet treat the proposed amount as guaranteed.

The EPP presents the position as a response to Mario Draghi’s competitiveness recommendations. Ehler’s argument places research-led innovation at the centre of industrial strategy, rather than treating science solely as a tool for meeting immediate industrial priorities.

The cross-group support reported by the EPP suggests a shared committee starting point, although it does not settle negotiations with member states.

The next test is how the committee position feeds into Parliament’s wider negotiating stance and discussions with the Council. The programme’s final budget and governance rules remain to be agreed.