What are EU Missions?
EU Missions are a novelty of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme for 2021-2027. The five EU Missions were launched in September 2021. They are the result of a collaborative process in which the Mission Boards – advisory bodies consisting of thematic experts – engaged with stakeholders and citizens, gathering their expectations and needs through a series of events across EU countries.
Making Missions happen
Mission Managers are appointed in the European Commission to lead the implementation of EU Missions and represent them externally.
Elina BardramDirector at Directorate General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA)
Mission manager for the Adaptation to Climate Change mission
Joanna DrakeDeputy Director-General at Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)
Mission manager for the Cancer mission
Kestutis SadauskasDeputy Director-General at Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs Fisheries (DG MARE)
Mission manager for the Restore our Ocean and Waters mission
Patrick ChildDeputy Director-General at Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV)
Mission manager for the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities mission
Diego Canga FanoDirector / Acting Deputy Director-General at Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI)
Mission manager for the Soil Deal for Europe mission
Taking stock: monitoring and assessment of EU Missions
As required by the Horizon Europe Regulation (Article 8.5), the Commission conducted an assessment of the first Missions and reviewed the Mission areas in 2023. The assessment confirmed the relevance of EU Missions as an important tool in the Horizon Europe programme. EU Missions are supporting EU priorities, have successfully mobilised broad stakeholder communities, and fostered strong citizen engagement. The assessment confirms that the EU Missions are on track to achieve their goals by 2030. However, it also highlights the opportunity to improve governance, leverage funding beyond Horizon Europe, and boost private sector involvement.
As a result, a Commission Communication was adopted with key political messages regarding the work developed so far and the future of Missions. A Staff Working Document provided the technical evidence of this assessment and review.In April 2025, the Horizon Europe Interim Evaluation was published, analysing the programme’s design, implementation and first results, including those of EU Missions. The findings of the evaluation suggest that the EU Missions are fostering strong synergies with EU, national, and regional programmes by aligning with key initiatives such as the Digital Europe and LIFE programmes, and by supporting strategies like the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Common Agricultural Policy. Some challenges remain in assessing overall progress due to early-stage monitoring limitations, however, monitoring frameworks are being finalised to support a more complete analysis.
The EU Missions monitoring flash, published in April 2025, offers a snapshot of Horizon Europe’s contribution to the five EU Missions, drawing from project data across both Mission-specific calls and broader research portfolios.
A new assessment of EU Missions will be published in 2026, including an analysis of progress towards their targets.
How to get involved
Citizens’ engagement is a key element for the EU Missions. We need broad participation from the public to make sure Missions are relevant and make a real difference.
For example, Missions will involve people in online discussions and polls on social media such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, and citizen events and specialised conferences to discuss the focus of Missions.
Looking ahead, stakeholders should get involved in Missions via actions presented in the Horizon Europe work programme.
