Speech by Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva at the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) - 29.05.2026

Speech by Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva at the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) - 29.05.2026

Thank you very much, Minister Damianou.

Today we advanced on two key priorities for Europe's competitiveness and global leadership: the next Horizon Europe programme and Science Diplomacy.

Let me start with Horizon.

Thanks to the hard work of the Cypriot Presidency, we have made considerable progress.

Most of the text gathers Member States' broad support.

Ministers gave a clear mandate to keep working towards a partial general approach, and as Commission, we are eager to support this effort, while preserving the core features of our proposal.

Some issues remain open, but the direction is clear.

On the priority-setting process, our concern is that we have an agile process, without unnecessary bureaucratic layers that result in delays.

Delays in approving work programmes, in opening calls, in signing agreements with applicants, in disbursing grants.

On partnerships too, we need flexible core principles, leaving the operational details for the implementation.

Of course, Member States will be involved in the process, but we cannot tie our hands with unnecessary complexity. We will regret it later, and so will our scientists and entrepreneurs.

As for widening, despite the differences among Member States there is a shared understanding that excellence will remain the backbone of our programme. I am optimistic that a balanced solution will be found.

Let me now turn to the second milestone.

Today, three months after our proposal was presented, Member States adopted the new EU Framework for Science Diplomacy.

It is built on a simple conviction: science remains one of the few spaces where global cooperation can thrive in mutual interest, creating channels of collaboration even at times of geopolitical tensions.

Look at Horizon Europe: entities from most countries around the world come together and collaborate in projects.

And we have global innovation leaders like Canada, South Korea, and Japan who have associated to our programme.

Others, like Australia and India, are actively moving to join.

They choose Europe because our ecosystem combines world-class excellence with openness, freedom of scientific research, and stable, predictable rules.

Europe is already a magnet for research and innovation, and with this new framework we will use our strength even more strategically: with a more coherent European voice on the global stage, projecting our values and protecting our technological sovereignty.

To conclude:

Today we moved closer to an even stronger Europe of science and innovation: both at home and on the global stage, and I wish to thank once again the Cypriot Presidency for its leadership and all the Member States for these concerted efforts.

Thank you.