Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe

What it is

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). 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. 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. 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. - 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…

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