Debate: Multiannual financial framework for the years  to  - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: TUESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Cristian-Silviu Buşoi
Country: Poland
Language: EN

This was a very challenging journey, and it required a lot of cooperation and hard work. As the Chair of Industry, Research and Energy Committee, I would like to give thanks to all colleagues that contributed to this, and especially to the rapporteur of the ITRE Committee, whom I replace now, Mr Christian Ehler. It was paramount to simultaneously negotiate and conclude the MFF package STEP with the Net Zero Industry Act. With linking STEP and NZIA, we demonstrate to our industries and financial markets that they receive full political support and a legislative framework to invest and become more competitive while transforming the European Union. STEP aims to reinforce, leverage and steer all EU funds, existing and new, towards – we hope – investments in digital and deep innovation technologies, clean and resource-efficient technologies and biotechnologies within the EU, and in the individuals capable of integrating these technologies into the economy. The EU will be now able to fund, more specifically, the construction of a factory of certain technologies in Europe to increase strategic independence and competitiveness for European industry. The final agreement adds additional funds to the budget of the European Defence Fund, but largely relies on providing additional flexibility to existing funds and cumulative funding. Additional flexibility should be mobilised for STEP projects under the regional and cohesion funds ERDF, ESF+; through the NGO funds, mainly RRF, InvestEU and Just Transition Fund; cumulative funding under EU instruments for individual projects, including for strategic projects under Net Zero Industry Act and Critical Raw Materials Act. STEP touches upon a variety of existing programmes and funds. It provides for synergies and complementarities between the Innovation Fund, Horizon, RRF, InvestEU and Cohesion Fund. Dear colleagues, the Parliament was very successful in obtaining a complete alignment between Net Zero Industry Act and STEP. All technologies are covered, all supply chains covered. Strategic projects get prioritised access to the individual funds under STEP, including the Innovation Fund. We have clarified some provisions of the European Innovation Council under Horizon, and we made the whole process clearer with a better governance structure. The governance of the STEP was improved by adding a new article on the implementation of the Platform, as insisted the Parliament. Parliament’s call for additional visibility for cohesion projects was accepted by displaying examples of cohesion projects dedicated to STEP’s objectives on the Sovereignty Portal. A two-stage reporting system was created, including an interim and final report. The role of the interim report was strengthened, and its main purpose will be to evaluate the contribution of the Platform to its objectives in time to feed into the decision making of MFF post-2027. So, we managed to deliver for Ukraine, to give a strong and not only political signal but concrete support for Ukraine. But also we managed to give the right signal to our industries, to our economies, to our financial markets, to invest smart in the future, to support the new technologies, the clean technologies, to invest in digitalisation and biotechnologies, and make Europe more resilient and more competitive worldwide.