China News Agency, Beijing, August 17th. London News: On the 16th local time, the British government website announced that the British government has launched formal consultations with the European Union with a view to participating in EU scientific research projects, including the "Horizon Europe Plan".
European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferry responded on the 17th that he had noted the UK's request for consultations and would follow up with the rules in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
According to the official website of the European Commission, the EU and the UK signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement at the end of 2020, allowing the UK to continue participating in some EU research projects, including the Horizon Europe Plan.
The agreement is effective from May 1, 2021.
The Horizon Europe Plan is an ongoing 7-year (2021-2027) research and innovation funding plan in the European Union with a total budget of 95.5 billion euros, and EU member states and related countries can participate.
Reuters reports that the UK has allocated around £15bn for the scheme.
Reuters reported that 18 months after the agreement was signed, the EU still refused to allow the UK to join scientific research projects, which has brought harm to the scientific research work of the UK and some EU member states.
The British government has sent a letter to the European Commission to initiate a dispute resolution process and urge the EU to comply with its obligations.
According to reports, European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferry has previously said that the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement neither sets out a specific EU obligation to include the UK in joint projects, nor does it set a deadline for the UK to join.
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