UK starts dispute proceedings, claiming exclusion from EU scientific research
The UK is triggering dispute proceedings with the EU, accusing it of breaching the Brexit treaty by freezing it out of scientific research programmes following the row over Northern Ireland.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and Tory leadership frontrunner, said there had been a “clear breach” of the trade and cooperation agreement, with her department writing to Brussels requesting formal dispute talks.
The UK government claimed the EU was causing serious damage to research and development in both the UK and EU member states, with Britain frozen out of science research programme Horizon, Copernicus, the Earth observation programme, which provides data on climate change, Euratom, the nuclear research programme, and space surveillance and tracking.
“The EU is in clear breach of our agreement, repeatedly seeking to politicise vital scientific cooperation by refusing to finalise access to these important programmes,” she said. “We cannot allow this to continue. That is why the UK has now launched formal consultations and will do everything necessary to protect the scientific community.”
EU sources confirmed the UK was asking for “formal consultations” – the first step of the mechanism to resolve disputes over the trade and cooperation agreement.
The move Truss, first reported by the Telegraph, comes after the two sides reached an impasse over the UK’s participation in Horizon, Euroatom and space services.
Sign up to First Edition
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
British scientists and academic researchers had 115 grants from the Horizon programme terminated in July because of the continuing Brexit row over the Northern Ireland protocol.
Grants had been approved
Read more on theguardian.com
