BETA


2021/0048(NLE) Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date 2021/10/18

Progress: Awaiting Parliament's vote

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ITRE CARVALHO Maria da Graça (icon: EPP EPP) CUTAJAR Josianne (icon: S&D S&D), PEKKARINEN Mauri (icon: Renew Renew), VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL Viola (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), BORCHIA Paolo (icon: ID ID), ROOS Robert (icon: ECR ECR), MATIAS Marisa (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Committee Opinion BUDG
Committee Opinion ENVI
Committee Opinion TRAN DELLI Karima (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
TFEU 187, TFEU 188 -a1

Events

2021/10/18
   Indicative plenary sitting date
2021/07/22
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
Details

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Maria da Graça CARVALHO (EPP, PT) on the proposal for a Council regulation establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe.

The aim of the proposed regulation is to set up nine EU joint undertakings (JUs) for the implementation of institutionalised European partnerships. It determines their objectives and tasks, membership, organisation and other operating rules, including on transparency and accountability.

General objectives

The amended text stressed that the joint undertakings should deliver, inter alia , on the following general objectives:

- contribute to reducing the specific skills gap across the EU by raising awareness;

- reinforce and spread excellence , including by fostering wider participation and geographical diversity throughout the Union, including participation from Member States that are currently considered modest and moderate innovators;

- contribute to accelerating upskilling and reskilling of European workers and the participation of SMEs in the industrial ecosystems linked to the operations of the joint undertakings;

- facilitate the integration of relevant scientific and innovation competences across the Union into European research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems and value chains;

- deliver environmental, energy and resource saving, sustainable, societal and productivity, circularity improvements in new products, technologies, applications and services;

- contribute to bridging the gender gap in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in Europe as well as to mainstream gender in research outcomes developed by European partnerships, thus achieving a better alignment of European partnerships with the gender equality objectives;

- seek for possibilities to inform students who might wish to pursue a career in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics and in other areas related to the operational activities of the joint undertakings.

Specific measures

The report highlighted the following specific measures:

- reinforcing the scope and budget for Clean Aviation as clean and sustainable aviation is a vital element for Europe’s success;

- reinforcing the scope and budget for Global Health to develop new or improved health technologies;

- contributing to the reduction of the connectivity gap and focusing on emerging technologies and supporting the construction of the EU’s ecosystem for developing 5G and 6G technologies, application and services.

Governance

The governance of the JUs should be based on rules that enhance efficiency and ensure maximum administrative simplification; the evaluation process should be fully transparent, kept simple while ensuring synchronization of reporting and monitoring procedures. Simplification and workability should be the driving principles for management of all financial contributions from Participating States, which should entrust the JU with the evaluation of proposals, while keeping a right of veto on all issues concerning the use of its own national financial contributions.

Financing and synergies

The joint undertakings should be financed by the Union programmes under the MFF and, where applicable, by the Next Generation EU. The ratio of administrative costs to the total budget of each JU should be of a comparable value across the JUs. Members other than Union should agree among themselves on the fair distribution of their part of the administrative expenses of their joint undertakings.

The Commission is called on to develop clear, simple and concrete guidelines on the implementation of the different types of synergies by the joint undertakings, such as transfer of resources, alternative funding, cumulative funding and integrated funding.

Documents
2021/07/15
   EP - Vote in committee
2021/06/08
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/06/08
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/06/08
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/06/07
   EP - Specific opinion
Documents
2021/05/25
   EP - DELLI Karima (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in TRAN
2021/05/19
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/05/17
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/02/23
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
2021/02/23
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
Documents
2021/02/23
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
Documents
2021/02/23
   EC - Legislative proposal published
Details

PURPOSE: to set up nine Joint Undertakings, as EU bodies, under Horizon Europe, the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (the Single Basic Act).

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the Council adopts the act after consulting the European Parliament but without being obliged to follow its opinion.

BACKGROUND: Horizon Europe, the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027), aims to increase the EU’s research and innovation impact by combining European partnership co-investment with additional private and public sector funds in areas where the scope and scale of the research and innovation resources can help achieve the EU's Horizon Europe priorities.

Under Article 8(1)(c) of the Horizon Europe Regulation, institutionalised partnerships based on Articles 185 and 187 TFEU shall be implemented under several conditions.

Under these legal provisions, the Commission’s proposal covers nine institutionalised European partnerships establishing individual joint undertakings for their implementation, which include industry, research organisations, civil society, and others. The new partnerships should also contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and strengthen the European Research Area.

CONTENT: the Commission proposes that the following joint undertakings should be established as EU bodies for a period ending on 31 December 2031:

- the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking;

- the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking;

- the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking;

- the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking;

- the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking;

- the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking;

- the Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking;

- the Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Joint Undertaking;

- the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking.

The proposed regulation also contains detailed provisions on the objectives, functioning, funding and structure of the joint undertakings.

Seat : it is proposed that the seat of the joint undertakings be in Brussels, Belgium.

The proposed regulation lays down the following:

- common objectives and principles for joint undertakings;

- operational objectives and tasks;

- a common process for selecting new members, thereby ensuring transparency and openness across the initiative, in line with the Horizon Europe Regulation;

- a framework to ensure partners’ contributions throughout the initiative’s lifetime and that the costs are shared between the EU and the partners other than the Union, which is a core condition of a partnership approach;

- phasing out provisions requiring the governing board to set out a realistic plan to continue the initiative outside the scope of an institutionalised partnership, by the end of 2022, in time to feed into the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe;

- governance provisions to harmonise the functioning of the different bodies across the joint undertakings;

- coherence and synergy measures.

Budgetary implications

The maximum EU financial contribution to the joint undertakings should be EUR 9 600 million. The administrative costs of the joint undertakings should not exceed EUR 501.174 million for the duration of the joint undertakings. These costs should be covered through financial contributions by the EU and the members other than the Union.

2021/01/04
   EP - CARVALHO Maria da Graça (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in ITRE

Documents

  • Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A9-0246/2021
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.643
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.644
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.768
  • Specific opinion: PE693.642
  • Committee draft report: PE692.644
  • Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex
  • Document attached to the procedure: SEC(2021)0100
  • Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2021)0037
  • Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2021)0038
  • Legislative proposal published: COM(2021)0087
  • Legislative proposal published: EUR-Lex
  • Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex SEC(2021)0100
  • Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2021)0037
  • Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2021)0038
  • Committee draft report: PE692.644
  • Specific opinion: PE693.642
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.643
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.644
  • Amendments tabled in committee: PE693.768

Activities

AmendmentsDossier
818 2021/0048(NLE)
2021/06/09 ITRE 818 amendments...
source: 693.643

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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events/3/summary
  • The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Maria da Graça CARVALHO (EPP, PT) on the proposal for a Council regulation establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe.
  • The aim of the proposed regulation is to set up nine EU joint undertakings (JUs) for the implementation of institutionalised European partnerships. It determines their objectives and tasks, membership, organisation and other operating rules, including on transparency and accountability.
  • General objectives
  • The amended text stressed that the joint undertakings should deliver, inter alia , on the following general objectives:
  • - contribute to reducing the specific skills gap across the EU by raising awareness;
  • - reinforce and spread excellence , including by fostering wider participation and geographical diversity throughout the Union, including participation from Member States that are currently considered modest and moderate innovators;
  • - contribute to accelerating upskilling and reskilling of European workers and the participation of SMEs in the industrial ecosystems linked to the operations of the joint undertakings;
  • - facilitate the integration of relevant scientific and innovation competences across the Union into European research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems and value chains;
  • - deliver environmental, energy and resource saving, sustainable, societal and productivity, circularity improvements in new products, technologies, applications and services;
  • - contribute to bridging the gender gap in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in Europe as well as to mainstream gender in research outcomes developed by European partnerships, thus achieving a better alignment of European partnerships with the gender equality objectives;
  • - seek for possibilities to inform students who might wish to pursue a career in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics and in other areas related to the operational activities of the joint undertakings.
  • Specific measures
  • The report highlighted the following specific measures:
  • - reinforcing the scope and budget for Clean Aviation as clean and sustainable aviation is a vital element for Europe’s success;
  • - reinforcing the scope and budget for Global Health to develop new or improved health technologies;
  • - contributing to the reduction of the connectivity gap and focusing on emerging technologies and supporting the construction of the EU’s ecosystem for developing 5G and 6G technologies, application and services.
  • Governance
  • The governance of the JUs should be based on rules that enhance efficiency and ensure maximum administrative simplification; the evaluation process should be fully transparent, kept simple while ensuring synchronization of reporting and monitoring procedures. Simplification and workability should be the driving principles for management of all financial contributions from Participating States, which should entrust the JU with the evaluation of proposals, while keeping a right of veto on all issues concerning the use of its own national financial contributions.
  • Financing and synergies
  • The joint undertakings should be financed by the Union programmes under the MFF and, where applicable, by the Next Generation EU. The ratio of administrative costs to the total budget of each JU should be of a comparable value across the JUs. Members other than Union should agree among themselves on the fair distribution of their part of the administrative expenses of their joint undertakings.
  • The Commission is called on to develop clear, simple and concrete guidelines on the implementation of the different types of synergies by the joint undertakings, such as transfer of resources, alternative funding, cumulative funding and integrated funding.
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events/0/summary
  • PURPOSE: to set up nine Joint Undertakings, as EU bodies, under Horizon Europe, the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (the Single Basic Act).
  • PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.
  • ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the Council adopts the act after consulting the European Parliament but without being obliged to follow its opinion.
  • BACKGROUND: Horizon Europe, the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027), aims to increase the EU’s research and innovation impact by combining European partnership co-investment with additional private and public sector funds in areas where the scope and scale of the research and innovation resources can help achieve the EU's Horizon Europe priorities.
  • Under Article 8(1)(c) of the Horizon Europe Regulation, institutionalised partnerships based on Articles 185 and 187 TFEU shall be implemented under several conditions.
  • Under these legal provisions, the Commission’s proposal covers nine institutionalised European partnerships establishing individual joint undertakings for their implementation, which include industry, research organisations, civil society, and others. The new partnerships should also contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and strengthen the European Research Area.
  • CONTENT: the Commission proposes that the following joint undertakings should be established as EU bodies for a period ending on 31 December 2031:
  • - the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Joint Undertaking;
  • - the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking.
  • The proposed regulation also contains detailed provisions on the objectives, functioning, funding and structure of the joint undertakings.
  • Seat : it is proposed that the seat of the joint undertakings be in Brussels, Belgium.
  • The proposed regulation lays down the following:
  • - common objectives and principles for joint undertakings;
  • - operational objectives and tasks;
  • - a common process for selecting new members, thereby ensuring transparency and openness across the initiative, in line with the Horizon Europe Regulation;
  • - a framework to ensure partners’ contributions throughout the initiative’s lifetime and that the costs are shared between the EU and the partners other than the Union, which is a core condition of a partnership approach;
  • - phasing out provisions requiring the governing board to set out a realistic plan to continue the initiative outside the scope of an institutionalised partnership, by the end of 2022, in time to feed into the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe;
  • - governance provisions to harmonise the functioning of the different bodies across the joint undertakings;
  • - coherence and synergy measures.
  • Budgetary implications
  • The maximum EU financial contribution to the joint undertakings should be EUR 9 600 million. The administrative costs of the joint undertakings should not exceed EUR 501.174 million for the duration of the joint undertakings. These costs should be covered through financial contributions by the EU and the members other than the Union.
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committees/0/shadows
  • name: CUTAJAR Josianne group: Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
  • name: BORCHIA Paolo group: Identity and Democracy abbr: ID
  • name: VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL Viola group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance abbr: Verts/ALE
  • name: ROOS Robert group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group abbr: ECR
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  • name: CARVALHO Maria da Graça date: 2021-01-04T00:00:00 group: Group of European People's Party abbr: EPP
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