What are the legal implications if the partnership fails to meet phasing‑out requirements? What would the consequences be if the final version to be submitted in March 2026 were not approved by the EC?

Developing a phasing out strategy is a legal obligation under the Horizon Europe Regulation. When assessing the performance of partnerships funded under Horizon Europe, the absence of a credible phasing out strategy constitutes noncompliance with one of the implementation criteria set out in the legal framework (annex III). Such noncompliance will be reflected accordingly in monitoring and evaluation exercises, and may be (pending the final legislative framework that will be adopted) considered in the future selection of partnerships under FP10 (e.g. as part of the legacy criterion under the proposal for a Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe 2028-2034).

Related Events

2nd Workshop on phasing-out strategies: Feedback round

11/02/2026

A follow-up webinar to the September 2025 workshop on phasing-out strategies.

Workshop on Phasing-out Strategies

25/09/2025

In line with the legal requirements of the Horizon Europe Regulation, all European Partnerships are expected to prepare an “exit strategy and measures for phasing out from the Programme” as part of their lifecycle, intended as an ex-ante selection criterion.