UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday rejected claims that talks on Britain’s membership in the EU’s Horizon science program have stalled, insisting London’s involvement would be the “optimal outcome”.
Speaking during a visit to Brussels, Hunt said talks over the exact terms of the UK’s membership in the €95.5bn program were “getting more difficult” as the two sides seek to determine the precise basis on which which arrangement would work for British taxpayers.
“I wouldn’t describe them as stalled,” Hunt said, when asked during a news conference if the Horizon talks were stalling. “It is recognized by both parties that it is a very important and successful programme, and that the best outcome would be to find a way in which participation can work for the UK.”
He spoke as the UK and the EU signed an agreement on regulatory cooperation in financial services, in a further indication of improving relations between the two parties.
But UK science and industry leaders have warned that delays in negotiating Britain’s membership in Horizon are hurting the country’s aspirations to become a science superpower.
Rejoining Horizon was touted as one of the benefits of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal with the EU in February, which settled a bitter dispute over Northern Ireland trade deals, but the two sides remain locked in talks about the bloc’s scientific research program.
Hunt demands a discount on Britain’s participation fee in Horizon. The EU has offered to waive payments for two “lost” years as its science program runs from 2021 to 2027.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has struck a £2 billion a year deal to become an associate member of Horizon in 2020 as part of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Hunt spoke about Horizon with Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner in charge of the inquiry. The officials said there had been no progress in the talks.
Both the UK and the EU are trying to step up cooperation as they seek to put the acrimony of recent years behind them.
Hunt’s visit to Brussels was the first by a British chancellor in more than three years and reflects warmer relations between the UK and the EU since the signing of the “Windsor framework” that revised Northern Ireland’s trade agreements.
Speaking alongside EU financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness, Hunt said the signing of the memorandum of understanding on regulatory cooperation marked a “major turning point”.
McGuinness said it was “really positive” that the two sides were establishing structured cooperation in the area of financial services.