British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen at the G7 meeting in Japan this spring. Stock photo. Photo: Stephen Rousseau/AP/TT
EU (Reporter of TT)
3.5 years after Brexit, the EU and Great Britain agree to cooperate again – at least on the research side.
After long and difficult negotiations, the European Commission and the British government have reached an agreement on how Britons can participate in Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research programme.
“The EU and the UK are strategic partners and allies and today's settlement proves that. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes in a press release.
“Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak) has secured improved financial terms for participation in Horizon Europe, which are in favor of the UK,” a British statement said, AFP news agency reported.
The settlement gives Great Britain the right to participate in the EU program from 1 January 2024 at an annual rate equivalent to SEK 30 billion.
Participation in Horizon Europe has been a contentious issue since Britain left the EU in January 2020. The Jupiter solution is welcomed by the research community.
“This is a big day for researchers in the UK and across Europe. The Horizon project is a beacon of international collaboration, and academic and industrial researchers in the UK will now once again be at the heart of it,” wrote several British academies. According to a report by AFP.
Victor Numelin/DD
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