Minister Fuchs participated in EU Competitiveness Council for Research and Space held in Brussels

Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Prof. Radovan Fuchs, PhD, participated in the EU Competitiveness Council for Research and Space, held in Brussels on 29 May 2026.

At the EU Competitiveness Council meeting for Research, the Council adopted the Recommendation on the European Framework for Science Diplomacy and held a policy debate on key outstanding issues related to the proposal for Horizon Europe 2028-2034, including strategic priorities, European partnerships, widening measures and collaborative research.

During the discussion, Minister Fuchs highlighted the importance of involving Member States at an early stage in defining the strategic priorities of the programme and stressed the need for the timely establishment of the partnership portfolio in close cooperation with Member States. He also underlined the importance of strengthening the European Union’s competitiveness through a more effective uptake of research results and enhanced cooperation among Member States.

Addressing the issue of widening, the Minister stressed that widening should serve as an instrument for progress rather than preserving the status quo. In this context, he emphasized that Croatia views widening as a tool for strengthening the European Union as a whole, rather than only the 15 widening countries, and therefore called for stronger pan-European cooperation within the widening framework.

In the afternoon session of the EU Competitiveness Council for Space, the Cypriot Presidency presented a Progress Report on the EU Space Act, followed by a policy debate on the role of space in economic security.

Minister Fuchs emphasized that space technologies, data and services play an important role in strengthening Europe’s economic security, resilience and competitiveness. He highlighted the importance of reinforcing European capacities in critical technologies, cybersecurity and autonomous access to space. He also stressed the importance of continued investment in the space sector and the need for a balanced approach to the civil, commercial and security dimensions of space policy.

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