Public Consultation: Shape the future of European partnerships

As part of the preparations and impact assessment for the next legislative framework governing European partnerships implemented as joint undertakings, the European Commission is inviting stakeholders to contribute through a Public Consultation, following the recently closed call for evidence. 

The deadline for submitting a contribution is 16 October 2026, however, EU-Rail recommends submitting responses by 10 September to ensure the greatest possible reach in all phases of the consultation.

Through this consultation, the European Commission aims to collect views on the functioning, effectiveness, performance and added value of joint undertakings, as well as ideas on how these partnerships could evolve in the future. This consultation comes as the European Union begins preparations for the next phase of institutionalised European Partnerships under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including the Horizon Europe framework programme (2028–2034), as well as the European Competitiveness Fund.  

Europe’s Rail encourages all stakeholders across the rail ecosystem to submit contributions and share their perspectives. Stakeholder contributions will play an important role in shaping the evidence base for how these partnerships are designed and implemented in the years ahead. 

When preparing your contribution, you may wish to consider the following documents: 

• EU-RAIL – Designing the future of Rail Innovation brochure 
• High-Level Paper on “A Future Policy-Based Public-Private Partnership for Rail” 
• 2025 interim evaluation of Europe’s Rail JU by the European Commission 
• 2024 European Commission support study on Horizon Europe and the green transition interim evaluation