Over the Horizon

Credit where it's due - Rishi Sunak got one thing at least partially right in his benighted premiership: the Windsor Framework. 

This was the accord reached between his government and the European Commission to resolve the impasse over the post-Brexit status of Northern Ireland. While this persisted - a purely political situation perpetuated by the hard-Brexit obduracy of Sunak's predecessors, Johnson and Truss - the UK's continuing participation in the EU's science and space programmes, Horizon and Copernicus, was in serious jeopardy. That problem has now been resolved. Hurrah!

The fact that this has been achieved during the premiership of a frankly Euro-tepid British Prime Minister indicates what might be possible under a PM with a genuinely friendly and positive disposition towards the EU. If Labour wins the General Election Sir Keir Starmer would undoubtedly be that PM. His goodwill towards Europe is clear but, as things stand currently, this has to be heavily caveated by clarifying that a closer relationship will have to stop short of applying to rejoin - in his first term at least. Beyond that, who knows?

A joint communiqué put out by the EC and UK states: "The European Commission and the UK Government will take forward joint outreach and engagement activities designed to encourage the participation of UK entities within both programmes." Who would have imagined after the Northern Ireland Protocol fiasco that such a positive statement would be possible? But here it is, in black-and-white.

Euratom and Erasmus next, maybe?

PS: And what about membership of the PEM Convention? (check it out).

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