Coimbra Group Statement on the Multiannual financial framework (MFF)
26 October 2020
As new rounds of negotiations are set to take place this week between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Coimbra Group, representing 41 long-established European comprehensive, multidisciplinary universities, reiterates its call to EU and national leaders to reach an agreement that ensures appropriate funding is allocated to the EU flagship programmes Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe to meet the societal needs of the time.
“We feel the need to recall that the future of Europe will crucially depend on the support given to its young people and their commitment to the further development of Europe. We therefore once again call on the EU institutions as well as on national policy makers to strengthen their investment in Knowledge, in particular in education and research” (read our past statement here).
Prof Thilly, Chair of the Executive Board, reaffirms that “any additional cut to an already low budget allocated to Horizon Europe is further jeopardizing the EU capacity to properly respond to the current and future crises.” He warns that “education, research and innovation must be safeguarded – not recognizing this is just a populist short-sighted view!”
In line with its long-standing advocacy for ambitious budgets for higher education, research and innovation, the Coimbra Group welcomes and strongly supports:
- the common statement published on 21 October by the national rectors’ conferences in Germany (HRK), Austria (UNIKO) and The Netherlands (VSNU), representing 9 Coimbra Group member universities: “Last chance to invest in European higher education and research”;
- the statement made on 19 October by Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament (European People’s Party) and Rapporteur for Horizon Europe, calling on the EU Heads of State and Government to “match the Green and Digital goals with a budget fit for this age”.
In July 2020, fifteen European associations of universities – among which the Coimbra Group – representing more than 800 universities in Europe, united and called on European leaders to step up investment in excellent, cross-border research, education and innovation, both in the Multiannual Financial Framework from 2021 to 2027 and Next Generation EU, and to commit to putting sufficient resources behind common ambitions (#EUInvestInKnowledge).