I-Com, PromethEUs | 09/12/2025
The PromethEUs network of think tanks, consisting of IPP Institute of Public Policy – Lisbon (Portugal), I-Com the Institute for Competitiveness (Italy), Elcano Royal Institute (Spain) and LIEE the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (Greece), is proud to announce its latest joint publication “Making the EU’s 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework Work for Southern Europe”.
The publication was presented on 9 December at the I-Com’s premises in Brussels to policymakers, industry leaders and academics who were taking part in the event. The publication’s core themes are the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) presented by the European Commission and two of its main components: the European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe. All with a special emphasis on southern European perspective.
The publication is divided into four chapters, accompanied by executive summaries and conclusions (with policy insights) for each of them.
Chapter 1 – edited by IPP-Lisbon – presents an overall picture of the 2028-2034 MFF and a comparison with the current (2021-2027) cycle, including their components, strengths and weaknesses. The chapter underlines the turning point in EU budgetary governance, marked by fundamental tensions. Questions are raised about feasibility of reforms, implementation capacity, and the balance between European added value and territorial cohesion.
Chapter 2 – edited by I-Com – delves into the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), exploring its scope, design, adequacy and the characteristics of its components. It raises several considerations regarding the ECF’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. Finally, the chapter provides a brief comparison with similar programmes in the US and China.
Chapter 3 – edited by Elcano – analyses the concept of ‘digital leadership’, which has been placed at the centre of Europe’s agenda by the next MFF. The chapter focuses on two elements of the ECF that determine the exercise of control over technological assets, the application of sourcing obligations and the implementation of time-sensitive actions. Finally, it presents the essential elements required to enact these instruments, together with the consequences of not implementing them.
Chapter 4 – edited by LIEE – compares and discusses the two cycles of the EU’s primary R&I programme: Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. It is argued herein that, while the EU has successfully cemented its status as a global powerhouse in ‘deep tech’ research excellence, it faces a widening ‘deployment gap’, particularly in southern economies, which can be traced back to the design of Horizon 2020. To conclude, a recalibration of the next MFF that prioritizes diffusion alongside innovation is proposed.
Read more – including conclusions and policy recommendations – by downloading the publication below.
