On Thursday 24 June, new scientific entities joined the list of signatories of an open letter calling for continued cooperation between Switzerland and the EU in the fields of research and innovation (R&I).
Switzerland is not included in the list of the 18 Associated Countries that will be able to participate in Horizon Europe, the new European framework programme for research (see EUROPE 12742/14), under conditions equivalent to those of the Member States.
Association agreements with these 18 countries are still being negotiated. “Transitional arrangements” will therefore apply in the first instance.
But not for Switzerland: “legal entities established in Switzerland are currently not covered by the transitional arrangement”, the European Commission said in a note in mid-June. A decision linked to the failure of the EU-Swiss framework agreement negotiations (see EUROPE 12742/3).
“Hopefully, new ways will be found to overcome” this difficult situation, the signatories of the letter stress, emphasising “the importance of continuing the long established and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Switzerland”.
These signatories include various international scientific organisations - such as Science Europe and the League of European Research Universities - as well as many national institutions - the Austrian, Dutch, Estonian and Danish science councils and academies, for example.
They all point out that Switzerland has “made important contributions” in many fields, such as the health sector, climate, and quantum technologies, and that it is a founding member of the European Space Agency and the host country of the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
“Downgrading Switzerland to a Third Country would severely limit its expertise being brought into Horizon Europe projects”, they write.
They also fear that this decision will weaken the European Research Area, especially in the face of global competition.
To consult the letter: https://bit.ly/3y13CWZ and the Commission’s note: https://bit.ly/35X32NX (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)