Horizon 2020 could benefit from agreement on flexible EU budget

Member states seem ready to make the next EU budget more flexible to allow unused money to be spent on areas “where it really counts”—including on the Horizon 2020 research programme.

Several member-state officials told Research Fortnight’s sister publication Research Europe that the Council of Ministers is willing to make concessions to the European Parliament to bring negotiations to a close and prevent a deadlock. The European Parliament rejected the Council’s budget proposal on 13 March, saying it offered too little flexibility.