Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Analysis of the results of the public consultation concerning the White Paper on R&D support for technologies with dual-use potential (COM(2024) 27 of 24.1.2024)

In line with the June 2023 European Economic Security Strategy, the Commission adopted on 24 January 2024 the White Paper on options for enhancing support for research and development involving technologies with dual-use potential, as part of a package of five initiatives to strengthen the EU's economic security.

The White Paper launched a wide public consultation with civil society, industry, academia and public authorities to allow a comprehensive dialogue with all parties concerned, which will inform the Commission’s next steps under current or future EU funding programmes. The White Paper suggested the following options for the future in an open way as a basis for public debate:

·Going further based on the current set-up: this option would build on the current approach characterised by an exclusive focus on either civil (through Horizon Europe) or defence applications (through the European Defence Programme). It would introduce incremental improvements that can already be tested in the current EU funding programmes.

·Remove the exclusive focus on civil applications in selected parts of the successor programme to Horizon Europe: this option would allow a focus (but not exclusive) on civil applications in selected parts of the programme, supporting technologies independently of the field of application – subject to specific conditions. At the same time, all other parts of the programme would maintain an exclusive focus on civil applications.

·Create a dedicated instrument with a specific focus on research and development with a dual-use potential: such an instrument would be devoted to research with dual-use potential, while the civil and defence research and development programmes would maintain their mutually exclusive focus.

At the end of the feedback period (30 April 2024), 241 replies were officially submitted through the Have Your Say portal.
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 All individual replies are publicly available on this portal.

45% of these replies are from EU or non-EU citizens and almost 25% are from academic or research institutions. Almost 15% are from business associations and private companies. Slightly more than 5% come from public authorities. Around 5% are from NGOs and other 5% from other organisations.

·Concerning the replies from public authorities, the majority of respondents favoured Option 1, although with support to Option 2 subject to further discussions on the details of implementation. One respondent explicitly supported Option 3. It should be acknowledged that the opinion presented by the public authorities of Member States do not necessarily reflect the position of their government.

·Responses from academic/research institutions include among others umbrella organisations. The majority of respondents from academic/research institutions favours Option 1.

·Among the business associations, the majority of respondents provided constructive feedback without indicating a preferred option, while close to one third of the responses favoured Option 2. In the case of private companies/business, almost half of the respondents were in favour of Option 2 and the same number provided constructive feedback without indicating a preferred option.

·The majority of non-governmental organisations expressed a clear preference towards Option 1, while the rest did not express a clear preference but provided constructive feedback.

·Taken all together, feedback from EU citizens is characterised either by a substantial opposition to the narrative of the White Paper independently of the options proposed or by a call to retain the exclusive focus on civilian applications with enhanced safeguards against militarisation.

·3 out of 4 respondents from trade unions were opposed to all three options and only one expressed preference towards Option 1. Finally, the large majority of respondents who did not belong to any of the other sections expressed a clear preference for Option 1.

·Overall, the tendency is mostly favourable to Option 1, in particular among research institutions, NGOs and expressed citizens. There is more openness to Option 2 among some public authorities, business associations and private companies subject to further discussion on the details of the implementation.

·This feedback will be taken into account in reflections on current and future EU funding programmes.

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    <R&D on dual-use technologies – options for support (europa.eu)>

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