It’s usually different, but the UK now wants to sue the EU. Requires access to European research programs and European scholarships for scientific research.
At the end of 2020, the European Union and the United Kingdom agreed that researchers at British and European universities would continue to work together. The agreements were part of the EU-UK trade agreement when the latter left the EU. But those agreements never came to fruition. Now the British are giving the EU an extra month, otherwise legal action will be taken.
There is great discontent in British diplomatic circles. “We are very disappointed,” it sounds like there, with a British sense of understatement.
Because Brussels did not bring in the funds for scientific research. The British government has so far provided the amounts themselves, but says it cannot continue to do so forever.
Claiming attention with fresh Brexit riots
At least that’s what the British say. He is also likely to play Secretary of State Liz Truss in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister. She has Brexit in her wallet and may be hoping to draw the attention of Conservative Party members to herself with fresh Brexit riots in slow news August.
Brussels has yet to officially respond to British complaints, but from the European side it can be heard behind the scenes that the UK should essentially consult itself when it comes to breaching agreements with the EU. Last year, little of this came, and in the spring Prime Minister Johnson scrapped an important part of his Brexit deals. He was interested in clauses relating to trade between the Irish and British islands, but this in fact invalidated all agreements, including those relating to science.
According to the British, it should be possible to separate the flag from other Brexit agreements. After all, there are more non-EU countries participating in the Horizon, Copernicus and Euratom programmes, the three support programs involved.
Fifteen billion pounds
The UK, like those other non-EU countries, agreed to contribute a certain amount to those funds. It’s been about 15 billion pounds for seven years. Researchers from the United Kingdom have been granted the right to apply for research grants in return. But it never reached the final signature under those agreements.
As a result, the European agency that pays the money is no longer able to meet British requests. In recent months, several UK researchers have received a letter warning that their research grant is at risk.
Among them, for example, is microbiologist Theresa Thurston, who is researching salmonella bacteria in London. I told Sciences She would receive £1.5m from the Horizon programme, but was told by letter that she would have to search for a partner university in continental Europe or her scholarship would be forfeited.
She decided to stay in London, where she has children. Now the British government pays for its grant, but it has lost the European network. “It is outrageous because according to Article 7.31 the European Union is obligated to continue to pay,” the British government said.
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