Recommendation 134

It is currently unclear how much influence the UK will have over Horizon Europe. The Declarations agreed between the UK and EU as part of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement state that the UK “shall participate as an associated country in all parts of the Horizon Europe programme”, and that UK “entities may participate in direct actions of the Joint Research Centre”316 (the EU Commission’s science and knowledge service), but “without voting rights”.317 In addition, the EU Commission’s guidance note on UK participation in Horizon Europe states that the EU is able to exclude the UK from elements of Horizon Europe: In duly justified exceptional cases for actions related to Union strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security, Horizon Europe work programmes may provide that the participation can be limited to those legal entities established in Member States only, or, to those legal entities established in specified associated or other third countries in addition to Member States. Moreover, for duly justified and exceptional reasons, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, the work programme may also exclude the participation of legal entities established in the Union or in associated countries directly or indirectly controlled by non-associated third countries or by legal entities of nonassociated third countries from individual calls, or make their participation subject to conditions set out in the work programme.318 311 Wellcome, Why the UK should associate to Horizon Europe (November 2019), p 1 312 European University Association, ‘European University Association and Universities UK International’s common statement on the EU-UK agreement’, accessed 25 January 2021 313 Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows (USC0013) para 16 314 Q177 315 Q269 316 HM Government, EU-UK Declarations (24 December 2020), p 18 317 HM Government, EU-UK Declarations (24 December 2020), p 18 318 European Commission, Q&A on the U