The Chair of the States Representatives Group (SRG), Bernard Frois, invited Maria da Graça Carvalho to participate in the 8th SRG meeeting of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), which took place at the Committee of the Regions.
The contribution from Maria da Graça Carvalho to the meeting was on The role of Member States in the H2020 political debate at the European Parliament. During her intervention Ms Carvalho gave her assessment about Horizon 2020 and highlighted a number of key points. Firstly, she offered a general assessment of Horizon 2020. Afterwards she stressed the importance of excellence and the stairway to excellence, of simplification and the importance of building synergy between Horizon 2020 and the structural funds. To conclude, MEP Carvalho underlined the key importance of providing "the most adequate funding possible given the circumstances that we are confronted with today".