Negotiations to secure funds for Framework 7 and the Horizon 2020 research programme took a step forward last week, despite MEPs’ frustration with the Council of Ministers’ approach.
On 14 May, European finance ministers decided to provide an additional €7.3 billion to pay outstanding bills for the budget in 2013. According to their agreement, this money will be focused on competitiveness and cohesion, including Framework 7.
The European Commission says that €11.2bn is needed in total, including €678 million for Framework 7. MEPs were quick to criticise the Council of Ministers for not approving more funds, despite ministers promising to consider a second payment in the autumn.
“This is not enough,” said Austrian MEP Hannes Swoboda, president of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. “It is unacceptable that governments commit money to EU programmes but then refuse to pay the bill.”
Finance ministers were to some extent pressured into the decision by the Parliament, which demanded that member states honour commitments for 2013 before MEPs would debate the EU budget for 2014-20. The €960bn proposed for the multi-annual financial framework includes an allocation of around €70bn for Horizon 2020.
Ministers countered by saying that the €7.3bn payment for 2013 would only be officially signed off following agreement on the multi-annual financial framework, under the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.
“These discussions have been linked by the European Parliament to the discussions on the multi-annual financial framework,” said the Irish finance minister Michael Noonan. “[Although] we regret this link, we acknowledge this is a political reality.”
Ivailo Kalfin, a social democrat MEP for Bulgaria who sits on the budget committee, criticised the Council’s move as “ridiculous”, saying: “These are funds legally due.”
Despite the Parliament’s frustration, the political agreement will allow discussions to move forward on the 2014-20 budget. Representatives of the three EU institutions held their first formal meeting on 13 May, after which negotiators said signs appeared positive for a swift conclusion.
Policymakers aim for an agreement on the seven-year budget by the end of the Irish Council presidency in June, to allow programmes such as Horizon 2020 to begin on time in 2014.