Battle for EU 2022 budget leads to more funding for Horizon Europe and Erasmus+

On 15 November, the European Parliament and Council of the EU reached an agreement on the size and allocation of next year’s budget. Striking the deal was important, as failure to do so would have required the Commission to release a new proposal, significantly delaying the process.

The outcome of negotiations was of particular relevance to the research community, as the Council had sought to reduce the proposed funds for Horizon Europe in 2022 (by -€316 million in commitment appropriations), arguing that there was not enough demand to absorb the spending. Conversely, and with the support of EUA, the European Parliament made it a priority to reverse these cuts and further reinforce the programme (+€305 million above the level of the draft budget, in commitment appropriations).

EUA welcomes the agreement reached by the negotiators, which leaves Horizon Europe with an extra €100 million on top of the allocation proposed in the Commission draft budget, and an additional €35 million for Erasmus+, sending a clear signal about the importance of future-oriented investments.

Pending final agreement, the 2022 budget for Horizon Europe could therefore reach €12.3 billion, with a potential top-up of about €1.8 billion from NextGeneration EU. The Erasmus+ programme would receive close to €3.5 billion.