The MEPs have approved an EU “enhanced cooperation” process so a group of member states can proceed with a support loan for innovative companies after Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia opted out.
The loan was agreed by EU leaders at a European Council summit in Brussels on 18 December 2025 and was presented by the European Commission on 14 January 2026, the European Parliament press service said on Wednesday.
Because not all member states backed the plan, it is being taken forward under the EU’s enhanced cooperation procedure, which allows willing countries to work together in specific areas, the Parliament noted.
The EU treaties require the European Parliament’s consent for enhanced cooperation.
The Parliament approved the procedure by 499 votes in favour, 135 against and 24 abstentions.
The MEPs also decided on Tuesday to fast-track their work on the loan and related proposals, which now need to be negotiated between the Parliament and the Council under the EU’s “ordinary legislative procedure” — the standard law-making process in which both institutions must agree the final text.
What happens next
The loan and accompanying proposals must now be agreed between the European Parliament and the Council.
