EC Suspends Cooperation with Russia on Research and Innovation

Following the Russian invasion against Ukraine and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the European Commission (EC) has decided to suspend the cooperation with Russian entities in research, science, and innovation. The Commission will not conclude any new contracts nor any new agreements with Russian organisations under the Horizon Europe programme. Furthermore, the Commission is suspending payments to Russian entities under existing contracts. All ongoing projects, in which Russian research organisations are participating, are being reviewed – both under Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, the previous EU programme for research and innovation.

“EU research cooperation is based on the respect for the freedoms and rights that underpin excellence and innovation. Russia’s heinous military aggression against Ukraine is an attack against those same values. It is therefore time to put an end to our research cooperation with Russia,” Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, said.

“Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is an attack on freedom, democracy and self-determination, on which cultural expression, academic and scientific freedom and scientific cooperation are based. As a result, we have decided not to engage into further cooperation projects in research and innovation with Russian entities. At the same time, we are strongly committed to ensuring a continued successful participation of Ukraine in Horizon Europe and Euratom Research and Training programmes. Ukrainian scientists and researchers have been key participants in our EU Framework programmes for research and innovation for 20 years and have demonstrated excellence and innovation leadership. We have taken administrative steps to ensure that successful Ukrainian beneficiaries can receive funding from the EU research and innovation programmes,” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, added.

 

EC suspends cross-border cooperation and transnational cooperation with Russia and Belarus

EC has also suspended the cooperation with Russia and its ally Belarus in the European Neighbourhood Instrument cross-border cooperation programmes (ENI CBC) as well as in the Interreg Baltic Sea region programme.

This means, among others, that no further payments will be made to Russia or Belarus. The suspension has immediate effect for the nine ENI CBC programmes involving Russia and Belarus and for the transnational programme Interreg Baltic Sea region under the programming period 2014-2020. The overall EU funding for the eight programmes with Russia is €178 million, while the total EU funding for the two programmes with Belarus amounts to €257 million. The regulation on the ENI cooperation programme provides for their suspension in case of breaches to international law, human rights, democratic principles, and rule of law.

Cooperation with both countries in programmes under the new programming period 2021-2027 is also suspended.

“The Russian military aggression is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, international law and the rules-based order. Suspending all cross-border and transnational programmes and payments to Russia and Belarus and, at the same time, strengthening the support to Ukraine is a concrete expression of European and Cohesion policy solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said.

 

Further support to Ukraine

At the same time, the Commission is urgently exploring legal and operational possibilities to strengthen the existing cross-border cooperation programmes between EU countries (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) and Ukraine, as well as the participation of Ukraine in the ENI CBC Black Sea Basin Programme or the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme.

With more than 1,000 existing partnerships between regional and local authorities of the EU and Ukraine border regions, the programmes offer opportunities to channel rapid, effective support to Ukraine, including for the refugees.