Exc: UK has begun drawing up contingency plans for pulling out of three major EU programmes it remained part of after Brexit.
They are Horizon Europe, Copernicus and Euratom.
UK believes delay to being admitted is being used by EU as leverage.
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/…
They are Horizon Europe, Copernicus and Euratom.
UK believes delay to being admitted is being used by EU as leverage.
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/…
Government departments have now been instructed to begin drawing up domestic alternatives should ministers decide to pull out.
The details of the work are contained in an official paper discussed this week at the GBO cabinet committee, and later leaked to me.
The details of the work are contained in an official paper discussed this week at the GBO cabinet committee, and later leaked to me.
The document appears to suggest ministers are actively drawing up measures to mitigate various retaliatory options open to the European Commission should Britain trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol in the coming weeks.
Talks are now in a bad place.
Talks are now in a bad place.
Should the UK trigger A16, it is widely expected that the EU will retaliate forcefully - with ministers anticipating that Horizon et al will also come into play.
The work is therefore seen by Lord Frost and co as important in strengthening their negotiating hand.
The work is therefore seen by Lord Frost and co as important in strengthening their negotiating hand.
However, pulling out of the programmes would not only be bad for the EU (billions of £ in lost funding).
The documents acknowledge that any UK alternatives cannot match the benefits of the EU programmes and could even dent Britain's ambitions to become a science superpower.
The documents acknowledge that any UK alternatives cannot match the benefits of the EU programmes and could even dent Britain's ambitions to become a science superpower.
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