The European Parliament announced that thanks to the MEPs pressure, the Council has decided to accept in full a Commission proposal to reshuffle funds between budget headings so as to liberate the necessary funding of €485 million for research projects. Contracts for EU-funded research programmes in the areas of health, biotechnology and nanotechnology can finally be signed.

Although a reshuffle would cost nothing according to MEPs, Member States decided on 31 May to cut the proposed amount by more than two thirds, prompting disbelief in Parliament and placing the Commission in the difficult position, with almost 200 research contracts ready for signing and researchers ready to start work, of being unable to make the advance payments. In November 2011, Parliament's Budgets Committee approved a Global Transfer operation because of lack adequate funding.

The Council has now decided to accept in full a Commission proposal to reshuffle funds between budget headings so as to liberate the necessary funding of €485 million. The remainder of last year's budget (€0.7 billion) and €0.8 billion from fines and interest on late payments will therefore be returned to member states via a rebate on their GNI-based contributions to this year's EU budget.

The decision to return money to Member States is taken. The Council is expected to give its approval at the ECOFIN session on 10 July. The decision means that shelved EU-funded projects that can now go ahead include research on brain tumours, tuberculosis, diabetes, cancer, Crohn's disease, arthritis, Parkinson's disease and chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Non-human examples include research into disease prophylaxis in fish farming and biotechnological means to disperse marine oil spills.