OUR Britannia filed a case to resolve a dispute with European Union in its quest to gain access to EU research programmes, including Horizon Europe, the UK government announced today in the last dispute between the two parties since Brexit.

Under a trade agreement signed at the end of 2020, the UK has negotiated access to a range of science and innovation programmes, including Horizon, a €95.5 billion program that offers grants and programs for researchers.

But 18 months later, the UK says the EU has not yet completed its access to Horizon, Copernicus, the Earth observation program, Euratom, the nuclear research program and services such as space surveillance and tracking.

Both sides have said that research cooperation will be mutually beneficial, but relations have strained over the trade part of the Brexit deal with Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, forcing the EU to initiate legal action.

“The EU is clearly violating our agreement by repeatedly trying to politicize vital scientific cooperation by refusing to finalize access to these important programs,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

“We cannot let this continue. That is why the UK has now entered into formal consultations and will do whatever is necessary to protect the scientific community,” said Truss, who is also the favorite for Boris Johnson to become prime minister.

The European Commission said it “takes note” of the UK’s announcement.

“The Commission notes that it is taking note of the UK’s request for consultations and will follow up on it in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA),” spokesman Daniel Ferry said.

Yesterday, on Tuesday, Ferry said that the TCA does not provide for specific commitments for the EU or a deadline for the United Kingdom to join the union’s programs.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}