The U.K. is rejoining the European Union's science research program as post-Brexit relations thaw
CTV
Britain is rejoining the European Union's $100 billion science-sharing program Horizon Europe, the two sides announced Thursday, more than two years after the country's membership became a casualty of Brexit.
Britain is rejoining the European Union's $100 billion science-sharing program Horizon Europe, the two sides announced Thursday, more than two years after the country's membership became a casualty of Brexit.
British scientists expressed relief at the decision, the latest sign of thawing relations between the EU and its former member nation.
After months of negotiations, the British government said the country was becoming a "fully associated member" of the research collaboration body U.K.-based scientists can bid for Horizon funding starting Thursday and will be able to lead Horizon-backed science projects starting in 2024. Britain is also rejoining Copernicus, the EU space program's Earth observation component.
"The EU and U.K. are key strategic partners and allies, and today's agreement proves that point," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who signed off on the deal during a call with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. "We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research."
The EU blocked Britain from Horizon during a feud over trade rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member, the Republic of Ireland.
The two sides struck a deal to ease those tensions in February, but Horizon negotiations have dragged on over details of how much the U.K. will pay for its membership.
Sunak said he had struck the "right deal for British taxpayers." The EU said Britain would pay almost 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion) a year on average for Copernicus and Horizon. The U.K. will not have to pay for the period it was frozen out of the science-sharing program, which has a 95.5 billion-euro budget ($102 billion) for the 2021-27 period.
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