On 19 July, the European Commission (EC) published a communication assessing the EU Missions after two years of implementation. In its assessment of the EU Missions, the EC affirmed that the Missions are on track to achieve their ambitious goals by 2030. While recognising that the five EU Missions, individually and collectively, have demonstrated their potential to help address societal challenges, the EC highlighted the major challenges that still need to be addressed. 

The Missions’ governance system is complex, lacks transparency and focuses on implementation, with limited space for reflection on progress and reorientation when needed. The EC proposes to strengthen the coordination mechanisms between Mission representatives and national, regional and local authorities. This could help involve citizens in the implementation of the Missions, as well as give a clear signal to private actors on their important role in the Missions. Additionally, the EC calls on political actors to designate a new set of high-level representatives to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the EU Commissioners overseeing each Mission. In its input paper, ERRIN also underlined the importance of improving Missions’ governance and stressed the role of governance innovation leading to more integrated ways of developing policies and implementing measures, as well as in decision making processes involving a broader range of local and regional stakeholders. 

Furthermore, the EC stressed the need to reaffirm political and financial support to the Missions to ensure their success. Under Horizon Europe, the EC will propose a budget of 11% of Pillar 2 for EU Missions until 2027. ERRIN has highlighted the importance of also leveraging funding sources beyond Horizon Europe and creating synergies with other EU funding programmes, including Structural Funds, as well as regional and national funds.

Another key challenge for the Missions’ implementation is stakeholder engagement. ERRIN has strongly advocated for further stakeholder engagement in the EU Missions and welcomes the EC’s continued recognition of the importance of involving citizens and the private sector in the Missions. A structured dialogue with both citizens and the private/philanthropic sector needs to be established to create ownership of the Missions.

Individually, the EU Missions have achieved great results, as highlighted by the EC in its Communication:

• Adaptation to Climate Change: Since its launch in September 2021, 308 regional and local authorities have committed to the Mission by signing the Charter. For the successful implementation of the Mission, ERRIN would like to see concrete processes and steps that regions can take towards the Mission's goals, with coordinated support from the Mission Platform.
• Cancer: Over the last two years, the EC has facilitated dialogues between Member States and has recently launched the National Cancer Mission Hubs to foster the dialogue with national stakeholders. ERRIN welcomes this important outcome and underlines the importance of incorporating the regional aspects in the Mission’s design and implementation, as well as in the National Cancer Mission Hubs.
• Cities: The Mission has generated momentum and created a community of cities working together to achieve climate neutrality, supported by the Mission Platform. In countries throughout Europe, national support structures and platforms have been established, serving as vital forums for collaborative efforts among cities. Although the EC acknowledges the existing synergies with EU programmes and the inclusion of the Mission in the operational programmes of many Member States and regions, it is essential to streamline and further develop these efforts. From ERRIN’s perspective, it is crucial that the Mission Label offers clear pathways for increased access to EU funding, while also impacting national and regional funding opportunities available to cities.  
• Soil: So far, the Mission has been integrated into 18 out of 27 Member States’ strategic plans under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This will facilitate the deployment and replication of innovative soil health solutions in an additional 1 000 test sites. Moreover, the EC confirms that the first Living Labs under the Mission will be launched in 2024 providing 200 sites for local experimentation in rural and urban areas. The Mission is also reaching out to various audiences through the Mission Manifesto, jointly launched with ERRIN, to raise awareness and promote the importance of soil health. The role of Territorial Social Management Agreements for soil health has been recognised and ERRIN will continue to follow this with interest.
• Ocean and Waters:  With more than 480 pledges under the Mission Charter, Member States, regional and local stakeholders have taken concrete actions to support the Mission’s objectives. Nevertheless, it is important to note that efforts are needed in terms of services provided by the Mission to the signatories. ERRIN welcomes the establishment of communities of actors to actively mobilise key stakeholders and is eager to further explore the role of regions to foster a sense of ownership and implement the Mission on the ground.

To complement the existing Missions, the EC proposes to add a sixth Mission on the New European Bauhaus (NEB). This Mission will follow the same process as the first five: a Mission Board will be established, and a Mission Implementation Plan will be defined. ERRIN would have favoured a more open dialogue around the proposal of the New European Bauhaus Mission, especially as the initiative is so intertwined with the existing Missions. Nevertheless, ERRIN’s NEB Task Force, which is made up of over 30 regions working on the topic, is looking to contribute to the further development of the potential new NEB Mission.

The Communication is supported by a Staff Working Document in which the EC provides a detailed assessment of each Mission, analysing in more detail their feasibility, added value, R&I content, budgets, citizen and stakeholder engagement, progress and achievements.

The EU Missions are a key topic for ERRIN and the network has actively worked on the Missions since the start of their development process. The ERRIN Management Board adopted the EU Missions as one of its two priority areas for 2022-2023 and the network has, through its Working Groups, closely followed and contributed to shaping the Missions through various events, input papers and formal and informal dialogues with the European Commission. Since the beginning of this year, ERRIN also has two Task Forces dedicated to Adaptation and New European Bauhaus. In February 2023, ERRIN submitted an input document to the Horizon 2014-2027 consultation, where it specifically provided perspectives and detailed input concerning the EU Missions. Most recently, during its Spring Annual General Meeting in June 2023, the network also held a high-level policy debate on the role of regions and regional ecosystems in different EU Missions (ERRIN members may watch the recording here).