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Switzerland threatens to continue denying access to the “Horizon Europe” research program. Image: sda
Brexit and the dispute over the framework agreement: Swiss universities and researchers are the first to suffer
Switzerland maintains research cooperation with the EU. Due to disputes and political developments, this could now be on the brink.
It all comes down to the second half of October: at some point the Federal Council will say how the framework agreement should proceed. Then it should gradually become clear which turn Brexit will take. And only then can the questions that Swiss researchers have been asking for a long time can be answered: Can they be part of the EU’s roughly $ 90 billion “Horizon Europe” research program from 2021? Or will they be the first victims, as they did in 2014 after the vote in favor of the mass immigration initiative, when bilateral relations collapse?
One thing is certain: The danger of Swiss investigators getting caught in the wheels is real.
On Tuesday, EU member states agreed that Switzerland should no longer be part of the “Horizon Europe” partnership with EEA states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Switzerland should now finish in an overall third country category with Great Britain and other countries like Canada. The reason for the reassignment is the lack of a framework agreement.
The consequence will be that in Switzerland new, that is, worse, conditions will apply. In the worst case, there is an additional access fee and the exclusion of certain research areas. And because Brexit is putting pressure on relations with all other third countries, rather than a simple association agreement, a broader general agreement may be necessary, bundling access to all EU programs. However, for such substantial negotiations, Swiss politicians would first have to adopt a mandate. The parliamentary process, including a possible referendum, could take years. Until then, the Swiss investigators remained on lockdown.
Switzerland also has its arguments ready
The EU Commission will decide if this will happen. It is up to her to determine how strongly she wants to leverage the Swiss investigation. The Member States emphasize how much they value Switzerland as an excellent research partner and that they will watch the Commission very well. One can also ask whether the EU is really interested in losing another strong research partner besides the UK in a chaotic Brexit.
However: the leverage for the concessions in the framework agreement will not simply be out of control.
On the other hand, Switzerland also has its arguments. Now third countries are only allowed to withdraw from the EU pots as much money as they contribute. And that will be enough: the Federal Council wants to spend around six billion francs on “Horizon Europe”. The Council of States recently confirmed the loan. If cooperation with the EU were interrupted, the money could be invested in research elsewhere. (cki / bzbasel.ch)
