Brussels, 7 July 2026
Europe stands at a decisive juncture. The Draghi report on European Competitiveness has laid bare a stark reality: Europe’s productivity growth has stalled, its innovation gap with the United States and China is widening, and the continent risks a slow but irreversible decline in its economic standing. At the same time, the Competitiveness Compass and the EU’s political guidelines place research, development and innovation (RD&I) at the heart of Europe’s strategy to reverse this trend.
We, the undersigned — 86 European associations representing key RD&I stakeholders — fully endorse this diagnosis and urgently call on EU Institutions to act with commensurate ambition in designing and funding the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10).