In response to the UK Government’s request for consultation, the UK Government and the European Commission co-chaired the second meeting of the Special Committee in Brussels.
Following discussions between the UK and the EU Specialized Committee on Participation in Union Programmes on 22 September 2022, the UK has issued the following statement:
“The second meeting of the Special Committee on Participation in Federal Programs was held in Brussels today, chaired by officials from the UK Government and the European Commission. Representatives from the Developed Administration and EU Member States also participated.
“The meeting followed the UK formal request for consultation On 16 August 2022. Consultations in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement are a mechanism for resolving issues between the UK and the EU.
“The UK is seeking to implement a mutually beneficial trade and cooperation agreement (TCAAgreement to participate in EU programs (Horizon Europe, Euratom Research and Training, Copernicus, and Access to Services from the Space Monitoring and Tracking Programme) for the benefit of UK and EU researchers and businesses.
“At today’s meeting, the UK once again requested that the EU fulfill its obligation to finalize UK cooperation for EU programmes, after a delay of 16 months. continues to decline.
“The UK has made clear that our priority is tied to EU programmes, and the continued delay by the EU in finalizing UK Association amounts is in breach of this. TCA, We have determined that the delay is causing considerable uncertainty to our research and business community and is undermining scientific cooperation in both the UK and EU Member States.
“The UK Government is now looking at immediate next steps. Our priority is to support the UK’s world leading R&D sector and we have already outlined possible options to do so.”