French plot fails to force Britain out of EU research projects

The fee experienced argued that it must be restricted to EU users owing to its “global strategic importance”.

France, whose commissioner Thierry Breton spearheaded the approach, was in favour of the go. 

On the other hand, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Poland, the Netherlands and the Baltic states have been in opposition to the fee proposal. Those people countries with each other would comfortably block any ban if it was put to a vote.

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

The United kingdom negotiated affiliate membership of the Horizon programme, which partners businesses and universities, in last year’s Brexit talks.

Britain is a person of extra than a dozen price-paying out non-EU countries that approach to take part in the 7-calendar year funding programme, which issues grants.

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

The information of the proposed ban appalled European universities when it broke at the finish of March. “The most recent proposal by the European Fee to exclude very long-standing and trustful associate countries … is not in the desire of Europe’s exploration local community nor the wider modern society,” the Eurotech Universities Alliance said at the time.