French plot fails to force Britain out of EU research projects

The commission experienced argued that it really should be limited to EU members due to its “global strategic importance”.

France, whose commissioner Thierry Breton spearheaded the strategy, was in favour of the shift. 

Nevertheless, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Eire, Poland, the Netherlands and the Baltic states had been in opposition to the commission proposal. These nations jointly would easily block any ban if it was put to a vote.

“You can not just put the United kingdom in the exact box as Iran or China,” an EU diplomat said.

The United kingdom negotiated affiliate membership of the Horizon programme, which companions organizations and universities, in previous year’s Brexit talks.

Britain is just one of much more than a dozen charge-paying out non-EU nations that strategy to acquire aspect in the seven-12 months funding programme, which challenges grants.

Brussels is pursuing a “strategic autonomy” plan, designed to bolster the bloc’s means to defend itself from levels of competition from the US and China.

The news of the proposed ban appalled European universities when it broke at the close of March. “The latest proposal by the European Commission to exclude extended-standing and trustful partner nations … is not in the curiosity of Europe’s research neighborhood nor the wider culture,” the Eurotech Universities Alliance said at the time.