The European Commission and the United Kingdom have reached a political agreement on British participation in the Horizon Europa and Copernicus science programmes. blocked since BrexitIt was announced this Thursday.
The agreement comes after months of negotiations, which allowed British investigators Application for subsidies and participation in projects. under the Horizon programme.
According to this pact, as an associated member, the United Kingdom will also have to contribute financially to the budget of the European Union (EU) with almost 2,600 million euros a year, on average. As of January 1, 2024, UK researchers and organizations they will be able to compete on an equal footing with their counterparts from EU Member States.
The government claimed access to the “world’s largest collaborative research programme,” Horizon Europe, through a “customized agreement with better financial conditions“.
According to London, British taxpayers will not pay for the time they have been excluded from the programs since 2021 and an automatic refund mechanism has been obtained if British scientists received much less money than the one that the United Kingdom includes in the program.
The UK’s participation in the Horizon program was negotiated in 2020, but London has complained of persistent delays due to disagreements over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade deals.
The Community Executive stressed that “this mutually agreed solution arises as a result of in-depth discussions between the EU and the United Kingdom and it will be beneficial for both“.
“The EU and the UK are strategic partners and key allies, and today’s agreement [quinta-feira] prove it. We will continue to be at the forefront of research and innovation around the world,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
This political agreement will have to be approved by the European Council before being formally adopted by the committee EU-UK expert on participation in EU programmes.
In addition to the Horizon Programme, the UK will also be an associate member of Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation programme, which provides information from satellites and other sources for future weather forecasts.
Source: Observadora
