JOINThe Presidency of the EU Council has proposed €149bn for Horizon Europe
On Thursday 11 June, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council reached a compromise proposal for the next EU budget, in response to the Commission’s proposal. The Council’s compromise proposes a 2% cut to the Commission’s overall budget and includes a Research & Innovation allocation (€148.6 billion for Horizon Europe) that is 15% lower than the Commission’s proposal (€175 billion) and considerably lower than the Parliament’s draft proposal (€200 billion). The Council also proposed cutting the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) budget to €199 billion, down from €234.3 billion under the Commission’s proposal and €264.4 billion in the Parliament’s draft proposal. EU leaders will meet on 18–19 June to begin discussions on the basis of these figures.