Response to the EC Call for Evidence: Single Basic Act for Joint Undertakings

The expert appraisal reacts to the European Commission's Call for Evidence for a "Single Basic Act for Joint Undertakings". It addresses both Article 187 Joint Undertakings and Article 185 initiatives, which fall within the same impact assessment; they are referred to jointly as Treaty-based partnerships.

Treaty-based partnerships are a valuable instrument in the European research and innovation landscape. As bodies of the Union with their own legal personality and governance, Joint Undertakings place members under binding obligations rather than voluntary commitments. Both instruments can combine the resources and expertise of industry, research organisations, Member States and the Union over periods long enough for capital-intensive investment. By requiring Member States to align national priorities and co-finance jointly agreed agendas, they act as an instrument of Europeanisation for national research and innovation systems. For smaller Member States in particular, they provide access to consortia, infrastructures and industrial value chains beyond the capacity of national programmes. Against this background, the appraisal makes four recommendations for the future Single Basic Act.