Commission proposes €12,8 billion for Horizon Europe in 2027

The European Commission has presented its proposal of €200 billion for the 2027 annual budget. The proposal aims to address growing geopolitical, economic and security challenges while supporting the Union’s long-term priorities. The draft budget incorporates the outcome of the mid-term review of the 2021–2027 Cohesion policy, encouraging Member States to direct funding toward new priorities such as competitiveness, defence, affordable housing, water resilience and the energy transition. To boost uptake, the Commission foresees one-off pre-financing and higher EU co-financing rates for these areas.

€13.8 billion is set to be allocated to research and innovation, of which €12.8 billion will go to Horizon Europe. The European Commission attributes the slight decrease in the research and innovation budget compared with 2026 to the cut in the ITER budget.

The proposal comes after years of major disruption, including the pandemic, the energy crisis, inflation, Russia’s war against Ukraine and wider geopolitical tensions. More recently, the crisis in the Middle East has added pressure through rising energy prices and a more uncertain economic outlook.

The 2027 budget maintains strong support for Ukraine, including funding through the Ukraine Facility and the new Ukraine Support Loan. It also increases the EU’s focus on security and defence, backing defence research, industrial capacity, military mobility and strategic resilience.

The annual budget for 2027 will have to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council before the end of 2026.

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