Alarm at EU plans to end Horizon Europe’s civilian focus

Source: University World News

By Nic Mitchell
29 April 2025

Alarm bells have been sounded by a leader of one of the main European university research stakeholder groups at plans by the European Commission to abandon the exclusive civilian focus of the Horizon Europe framework programme (FP) for research and innovation.

Professor Kurt Deketelaere, secretary-general of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), warned that the commission is preparing a raid on Horizon Europe funds to “incentivise defence-related investments” to support the European Union’s “ReArm Europe Plan”.

The European defence plan aims to accelerate the use of disruptive innovation, such as AI and quantum technology, to enhance European readiness for worst-case scenarios and support Ukraine in the short term – while boosting Europe’s independent military capabilities following uncertainty over the Trump administration’s commitment to defend fellow NATO countries against external aggression.

Deketelaere claimed the commission – the European Union’s executive arm – wants to “redirect parts of the framework programme’s budget for dual-use and defence-related activities” despite Horizon Europe research and innovation (R&I) activities being “strictly limited to civil applications”.

Regulation amendment

Deketelaere said “such investments would therefore be illegal under the current legal framework” and explains why Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has announced that regulation (EU) 2021/695, which governs Horizon Europe, will be amended later this year.

Deketelaere told University World News that the amendment “will allow support for technologies with potential dual-use applications under the Horizon Europe funded European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator” and permit equity investments in defence-focused technologies.

The EIC was established as part of the €95 billion (US$108 billion) EU Horizon Europe programme (2021 to 2027). It was given a budget of €10.1 billion to support game-changing innovations, from early-stage research to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale-up of start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

In a white paper on options for enhancing support for research and development involving technologies with dual-use potential in January 2025, the commission said “dual-use” refers to R&D support in relation to software and technology that has the potential to be used for both civil and military purposes and will address the gap between exclusively civil and exclusively defence R&D activities, in particular on critical and emerging technologies.

European Commission (EC) spokesperson Thomas Regnier told University World News: “The commission’s proposal only concerns the EIC Accelerator, which supports the market deployment and scale-up of individual start-ups and innovative SMEs.

“The EIC Accelerator targets start-ups and SMEs with disruptive innovations and emerging technologies and already supports many companies with technologies that have a potential dual use, for example in cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence.

“The proposed change will clarify that these companies can continue to be fully supported in case of defence applications of their technologies, which is important both for the objective of scaling up deep tech companies in Europe and for addressing EU policy objectives concerning defence and security.”

Undermining trust of academics

Professor Jan Palmowski, secretary-general of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, agreed that it “can be very hard to decide where the line is between what is, and what is not, research for both civilian and defence purposes”.

However, he told University World News: “We would oppose research being funded through Horizon Europe if it explicitly rewards dual-use research through extra points in the evaluation of proposals.

“Horizon is a civilian programme first and foremost whose purpose is to address our common European and global challenges, and that focus should remain.”

Deketelaere said that the EU already has the European Defence Fund, and he was “happy to discuss all options under the framework programme, but not a fait accompli halfway through the duration of Horizon Europe [from] the commissioner of defence”.

He warned that the move would undermine the limited trust between Europe’s academic sector and the European Commission in the run-up to negotiations over the successor to Horizon Europe, which runs until the end of 2027.

The commission already appears to be on a collision course with members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the European Council (which represents member states) over attempts to absorb the next framework programme for research and innovation (FP10) into a giant European Competitiveness Fund, as University World News has reported.

Power grab

Critics, including Deketelaere, say the commission is making a power grab which will “step-by-step contaminate the whole framework programme” with the €95 billion Horizon Europe budget being raided to fund different priorities of the European Commission led by President Ursula von der Leyen.

“So, LERU’s concerns go beyond the principle of civilian exclusivity,” said Deketelaere. “Diverting Horizon Europe’s budget to fund defence and dual-use activities – now made eligible through the proposed amendment – threatens to undermine its core purpose.

“This reinforces LERU’s call for a ring-fenced budget for R&I in the [next] framework programme. It is unacceptable that the FP’s budget be raided each time a new political priority arises.

“This latest initiative may be a sign of what is to come if the FP’s budget is absorbed into a future European Competitiveness Fund. Under such a scenario, pooled resources could be allocated to whatever the political priority of the day is,” he added.

“The European Commission’s push to decouple budgets from programmes, or to eliminate programmes like the FP altogether, signals a desire for unfettered spending flexibility. For LERU, this is unacceptable.

“We will continue to advocate for a self-standing FP with a dedicated and protected budget for a R&I,” said Deketelaere.

Emmanuelle Gardan, director of the Coimbra Group (an association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities), told University World News: “We share the concern over the process and lack of stakeholder consultation and lack of reference to the results of the public consultation launched by the commission in January-April 2024 after the white paper (on options for enhancing support for research and development involving technologies with dual-use potential) was published.”

Call for new standalone R&I framework

The European Parliament’s budget committee has called the proposed European Competitiveness Fund “inadequate” and “not fit for purpose” in a report on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework.

The committee also backed the call for a new standalone research and innovation framework programme after 2028.

The lengthy motion was approved by the committee on Wednesday 23 April, by 23 votes to nine, with two abstentions, and will now be debated in the Parliament’s plenary session on 7 May.

Nic Mitchell is a UK-based freelance journalist and PR consultant specialising in European and international higher education. He blogs at www.delacourcommunications.com.

Athens pays $600,000 to Washington lobbyists to be 'Trump-whisperers'

 

Source: euobserver
By Benjamin Fox
Apr. 10 2025

Greece has become the latest European government to hire Washington lobbyists as it seeks to curry favour with president Donald Trump. 

The contract between the Greek foreign ministry and BGR group, a Republican-focused spin shop with close links to Trump and his officials, is worth $600,000 [€577,000] per year and started on Monday (10 February). 

BGR has been the big winner on K-Street (the eponymous location of most upmarket Washington lobbying outfits) since Trump’s presidential election win in November. It has taken on the governments of Qatar and Panama, as well as the Yemeni National Resistance in contracts worth around $3.3m in the three weeks since Trump’s inauguration on 20 January. 

BGR will offer “strategic guidance and counsel with regard to government affairs activity within the US” the contract, filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, states.  

“This may include relevant outreach to US government officials, non-government organizations,” it adds. 

Greece’s main lobbyist will be Fred Turner, a former Democrat Congressional aide, whose support team will include Lester Munson, a former Republican staffer and former senior USAID official in the George W. Bush administration. 

Greece’s move is the latest in a trend of European governments seeking political influence in Washington. Though a cluster of EU countries have lobbyists in Washington to help promote their tourist industries, the bloc’s governments have rarely hired consultants with a brief to give them access and influence in Congress and the White House. 

That appears to have changed following Trump’s election. 

Earlier this week, the president imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports that will hit the EU economy, and are likely to be followed by a wider package of import duties. He has also shuttered USAID and ordered a 90-day freeze on US aid programmes, many of which operate in the EU. 

The European Commission has been in negotiations with DCI group, another Republican lobby firm, while Denmark, facing aggressive demands from the Trump administration to buy Greenland, is also in the market for lobbyists.  

Meanwhile, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has joined the EU’s criticism of Trump’s approach to Greenland, describing it as the latest in a series of “relatively unprecedented announcements announcing geo-strategic changes [and] changes in zones of influence.” 

He has also spoken of “tectonic upheaval” caused by Trump’s election  

However, the Mitsotakis government may have reason to expect favourable treatment from the US over the next four years. Trump has appointed Kimberley Guilfoyle, a TV personality, lawyer and former fiancee of his son Don Jr, as the new US ambassador in Athens.

Turkey moves to put military agreements into force with three Balkan countries surrounding Greece

 

Source: Nordic Monitor
April 7 2025

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Turkey is set to ratify military framework agreements signed with three Balkan nations, a move that further strengthens Ankara’s military presence in the region while extending its strategic influence around Greece.

The agreements, signed in 2024 with Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, come at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece has expressed concern over Turkey’s expanding defense partnerships, particularly in regions with historical and strategic significance. The Balkans have long been a battleground for influence between NATO allies and external powers, and Turkey’s deepening military ties with these countries signal its intent to play a more active role in regional security dynamics.

The agreements have been fast-tracked to the Turkish Parliament’s agenda, unlike similar military pacts that typically undergo lengthier review processes. Ankara sees these agreements as part of a broader strategy to enhance its defense cooperation with neighboring and allied nations while countering regional security threats.

Under the agreements Turkey and its partners will collaborate in a range of military and defense areas, including training and education, joint exercises, defense industry cooperation, intelligence sharing, logistics support, medical services, cyber defense, peacekeeping missions and countering landmines and improvised explosive devices. The agreements also facilitate personnel exchange, joint research in military science and technology and operational cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

Turkey views such formal military agreements as stepping stones for deeper defense ties and future deals. They also serve as a reference for broader defense industry cooperation. A strategy initially linked to Turkey’s sale of drones produced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law’s company Baykar has since expanded to include various defense products.

Nordic Monitor previously reported that Turkey has been increasingly leveraging comprehensive framework agreements to obscure subsequent military, defense and intelligence deals from public scrutiny. The report cited Brig. Gen. Esat Mahmut Yılmaz, head of the General Directorate of Legal Services at Turkey’s Defense Ministry, who disclosed this approach in a May 21, 2024, closed-door session with the Foreign Affairs Committee in parliament.

According to Yılmaz, Turkey has consolidated the three agreements, which were initially negotiated separately, into a single framework to expedite engagement in foreign military operations.

Once ratified and published in the Official Gazette, these agreements will allow the Turkish military to enter secondary deals with foreign partners without requiring further parliamentary approval. This method limits public debate on the scope and extent of Turkey’s overseas military activities. By streamlining the approval process, Ankara aims to remove bureaucratic obstacles and ensure continuity in its defense engagement. Analysts note that this approach mirrors similar strategies used in previous defense agreements with African and Central Asian nations, where Turkey has sought long-term defense partnerships through overarching legal frameworks.

Until recently, Turkey negotiated separate agreements for military training, defense industry cooperation and general military collaboration. However, the government has now streamlined these into broader framework agreements. This approach, particularly applied to partners in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, aims to accelerate military operations, minimize bureaucratic hurdles and keep secondary agreements confidential. Such agreements have played a crucial role in Turkey’s growing defense influence, particularly in countries where Turkish military technology and training programs have been well received.

“We used to present these three separately as individual agreements to our parliament. However, we later combined all three. We now negotiate these under a single framework and defense cooperation agreement,” Yılmaz said.

As of December 2024 Turkey had signed military framework agreements with 89 countries and military training cooperation agreements with 65. Negotiations are ongoing with 47 nations for military framework deals and 13 for training agreements. Additionally, Turkey has signed defense industry cooperation agreements with 90 countries.

Most international agreements processed by the Turkish Parliament in recent years have fallen under these broad military frameworks. Notably, the Foreign Affairs Committee, rather than the Defense Committee, often oversees their review and approval despite lacking expertise in military affairs. This suggests an effort by the Erdogan administration to limit parliamentary scrutiny. Lawmakers critical of the government have raised concerns about the lack of transparency in such agreements, arguing that they grant excessive discretion to the executive branch in military affairs.

Erdogan’s strong personal interest in foreign military and defense deals has played a significant role in accelerating such agreements. His family has benefited financially from military hardware sales, particularly the Bayraktar drones produced by Baykar. Over the years, the Erdogan family has also reportedly profited indirectly from commissions tied to defense contracts, facilitated through favorable government policies such as no-contest bids, tax breaks and subsidies.

Text of the military framework agreements with Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia: