Speaking in the National Assembly today, EU commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva called on Bulgaria to back the European Commission's proposal to double the current budget of the Horizon Europe programme.
Ireland proposes the opposite: a 10% cut in the programme's funding.
The proposal is part of the EU's next multi-year budget, which covers 2028 to 2034. Zaharieva believes the money for the new Horizon Europe should be at least what the Commission proposes.
"If we want to be truly ambitious and support our innovators, the next Horizon Europe budget cannot be lower than the current one," she said.
Zaharieva, the EU commissioner for startups, research and innovation, talked with MPs from the parliamentary committee on innovation and digital transformation and the committee on European affairs and oversight of EU funds. They discussed science and innovation as a driver of European competitiveness, and Bulgaria's opportunities in the next budget period.
She briefed MPs on changes in the Commission's innovation policy. She said the new approach rests on four points. First, science and innovation must meet the real needs of business and citizens, and fit the geopolitical situation.
Second is the scale of investment, both public and private. High technology needs spending that matches the challenges, including catching up in artificial intelligence, space and other fields. "Without investment in science and innovation there is no investment and no competitiveness in the future," Zaharieva said.
Third is deeper integration and completion of the single European market. Fourth, state institutions should become lead customers of new technology firms, meaning they would buy from them. This is the central aim of the Innovation Act, and Zaharieva hopes the Bulgarian parliament will give a positive opinion on it.
Startups are among the current Commission's priorities, she added.
On her initiative, the Commission proposes opening the whole Horizon Europe programme to firms that develop dual-use technologies, for both civilian and military purposes. Bulgaria backs the proposal, and Zaharieva thanked it for its position ahead of the coming talks on the EU budget.