EU ministers debated the Horizon Europe package for 2028-2034 at the 29 May 2026 Competitiveness Council, with the Cypriot Presidency aiming for a partial general approach by June. Four outstanding issues dominated: strategic priority setting and links with the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), European Partnerships, widening provisions, and bottom-up collaborative research.
Cypriot Minister Nicodemus stressed convergence on most text and urged timely agreement to avoid funding gaps. Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva backed the presidency’s direction, warning against adding complex layers such as Article 17, and called for genuine simplification, noting work programmes risk 3000 pages.
Widening provisions split the Council. The Netherlands (EPP) supported targeted widening but opposed anonymised proposals, insisting on excellence. Denmark (Renew) strongly backed dual-use and defence research under the EIC, citing Russian drone attacks in Romania, and pushed for joint Horizon-ECF governance to end silos. Portugal (S&D) defended a transition pathway for widening countries and urged co-creation with member states. Luxembourg (Renew) called for early member-state involvement in priority setting and clear partnership closure procedures.
Partnerships faced pushback on central financial management from the Netherlands and Denmark. Austria (EPP) insisted pure defence research be funded from the ECF, not Horizon, and supported limiting partnerships to strategic areas. Finland (EPP) stressed excellence and open competition.
Divergences persist: widening remains contentious, with the Netherlands and Denmark opposing it as a horizontal principle, while Portugal and Luxembourg seek transitional support. The presidency aims for a partial general approach by June, aligned with the ECF regulation. Affected stakeholders include researchers, industry, SMEs, and widening countries seeking capacity-building.