Council commits to nine institutionalised European partnerships
The Council adopted a Council regulation today establishing joint undertakings under the Horizon Europe programme. The joint undertakings complement the existing Horizon Europe framework by addressing global challenges and priorities that require critical mass and long-term vision.
Joint undertakings will enable the joint investment of tens of billions of euros by public and private actors, at EU and national level. This investment will ensure a clear impact for EU citizens, will be based on the principles of openness, inclusiveness and transparency and will guide Europe in achieving the green transition, digital transformation and greater resilience in crucial areas.
Simona Kustec, Slovenian Minister for Education, Science, and Sport
Horizon Europe introduces a more strategic, coherent and impact-driven approach to European partnerships. It establishes the policy and legal framework for European partnerships with private or public sector partners.
The regulation establishing joint undertakings aims to make the use of institutionalised European partnerships more effective, in particular by focusing on clear objectives and outcomes that can be achieved by 2030, and by ensuring that there is a clear contribution to related EU policy priorities.
European partnerships address complex challenges that can be best addressed by a partnership with industrial stakeholders. They are set up to ensure that there is clear impact for EU citizens through a strategic vision that is shared by the partners. The partnerships bring together a broad range of players to work towards a common vision and translate this vision into roadmaps and coordinated activities.
The nine institutionalised European partnerships covered by the proposal are:
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-Circular Bio-based Europe
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-Clean Aviation
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-Clean Hydrogen
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-Europe’s Rail
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-Global Health EDCTP3
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-Innovative Health Initiative
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-Key Digital Technologies
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-Single European Sky ATM Research
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-Smart Networks and Services
Background
On 23 February 2021, the European Commission sent its proposal for a Council regulation establishing the joint undertakings under Horizon Europe to the Council based on Article 187 TFEU, which requires the Parliament to be consulted.
This proposal is part of a package of institutionalised European partnerships, together with a proposal for a partnership for high performance computing (EuroHPC), which was adopted on 13 July 2021, and the proposal for a European partnership on metrology, based on Article 185 TFEU, which was adopted on 18 November 2021.
Next steps
The regulation will enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all member states.