(L-R) Stéphanie Obertin, Luxembourg's Minister of Research and Higher Education; Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation;
Credit: EU
On Friday 29 May 2026, Luxembourg's Minister of Research and Higher Education, Stéphanie Obertin, participated in the Research configuration of the European Union's (EU) Competitiveness Council in Brussels.
During the council, European research ministers exchanged views on the future of the European research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe, for the 2028-2034 period.
Political discussions focused on several key elements of the future framework programme, including the definition of strategic priorities, European partnerships, widening measures aimed at increasing the participation of Member States with lower research and innovation performance, as well as the support for collaborative bottom-up research.
In her intervention, Minister Obertin stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between scientific excellence, competitiveness and inclusiveness in the future European framework programme. She also highlighted the need to ensure a stable and predictable framework for the European research and innovation ecosystem.
Minister Obertin supported greater involvement of Member States in defining the programme's strategic priorities before the comitology procedures begin, in order to encourage stronger collective ownership and greater coherence with other European instruments.
She also called for simpler European partnership mechanisms while preserving their openness, attractiveness and European added value. She emphasised the importance of avoiding excessive administrative complexity and maintaining a fair balance between European leadership, Member State involvement and private sector participation.
Concerning widening measures, Minister Obertin welcomed the gradual approach proposed during the negotiations and supported the continuation of instruments that have demonstrated their added value, particularly those aimed at strengthening participation in the European Research Council (ERC).
Minister Obertin underlined that collaborative bottom-up research and innovation should remain a key pillar of the future Horizon Europe framework programme in order to preserve sufficient space for researcher-led projects and support scientific excellence across Europe.
Alongside the discussions on Horizon Europe, the Council also adopted a recommendation on European science diplomacy, aimed at strengthening links between science, research and the EU's foreign policy.
The incoming Irish Presidency also presented its priorities and work programme in the field of research and innovation.
