The European Commission has released publications on the progress of the implementation of the five Horizon Europe EU Missions in the first two years.
As formulated in the Horizon Europe Regulation, this first review consisted of an analysis of the Missions’ selection process, their governance, budget, focus and progress to date.
To match the strategic nature of the assessment exercise, two documents were adopted: the Commission Communication on EU Missions containing key messages regarding the work completed so far and the future of Missions; and the Staff Working Document that presents detailed information on the evaluation methodology and findings for each Mission area.
The conclusions demonstrate the potential of the EU Missions to accelerate change and that they are on track to achieve their ambitious goals by 2030 in important areas such as adaptation to climate change, improving the life of cancer patients, cleaning up marine and freshwater ecosystems, making cities climate-neutral and making soils healthy. However, the initiatives need to be further supported in reaching their long-term goals, including strengthening and better coordinating administrative governance, facilitating access to resources and funding, continuing to support local and national efforts, as well as boosting citizens’ engagement and raising public awareness of the Missions.
To improve the governance of the EU Missions, the Commission invites EU Member States to nominate high-level representatives to join the Commissioners responsible for the respective EU Missions in promoting Missions and mobilising funds. In addition, the Commission proposes to invest in strengthening joint support functions (“back office”) for all current and future EU Missions.
To make the EU Missions more effective, the Commission wants to mobilise a broader portfolio of instruments to secure greater participation of the private sector, including public-private partnerships and public procurement. Further action is planned for awareness-raising and support to local and national communication efforts to boost citizen engagement.
Furthermore, the Communication launches preparations for a new EU Mission on the New European Bauhaus (NEB), which would complement and advance the work of the existing Missions supporting the European Green Deal. The creation of a dedicated NEB Mission will follow the same process as the first five. This includes an appointment of a Mission Board and the drafting of a Mission Implementation Plan. The new Mission would build on the EU interdisciplinary NEB initiative started in 2020 with the aim to connect the European Green Deal to society’s living spaces and experiences.
In the second phase of Horizon Europe, the Commission wants to spend 11% of the Horizon Europe Pillar Two budget on EU Missions (instead of the current 10%). This corresponds to a total amount of over € 3 billion for the period 2024-2027.