19 Nov 2021
Council adopts regulation on nine institutionalised European partnerships
On 19 November 2021, the Council of the EU adopted a Council regulation establishing joint undertakings under the Horizon Europe programme. The joint undertakings based on Article 187 TFEU complement the existing Horizon Europe framework by addressing global challenges and priorities that require critical mass and long-term vision.
The regulation establishing joint undertakings aims to make the use of institutionalised European partnerships more effective, in particular by focusing on clear objectives and outcomes that can be achieved by 2030, and by ensuring that there is a clear contribution to related EU policy priorities.
European partnerships address complex challenges that can be best addressed by a partnership with industrial stakeholders and in the case of a tripartite partnership also with Member States. They are set up to ensure that there is clear impact for EU citizens through a strategic vision that is shared by the partners. The partnerships bring together a broad range of players to work towards a common vision and translate this vision into roadmaps and coordinated activities.
The nine institutionalised European partnerships covered by the proposal are:
- Circular Bio-based Europe
- Clean Aviation
- Clean Hydrogen
- Europe’s Rail
- Global Health EDCTP3
- Innovative Health Initiative
- Key Digital Technologies
- Single European Sky ATM Research
- Smart Networks and Services
This proposal is part of a package of institutionalised European partnerships, together with a proposal for a partnership for high performance computing (EuroHPC), which was adopted on 13 July 2021, and the proposal for a European partnership on metrology, based on Article 185 TFEU, which was adopted on 18 November 2021.
Under the new legal basis, the new European Partnerships will now enter into their set-up and implementation phase, which will include recruitment of staff, appointment of advisory bodies and the preparation of work programmes. Once set up, new calls for proposals will be launched, to select and finance research and innovation projects according to their respective objectives.
The regulation can be downloaded here: