Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the Government ended the UK's membership of the European University Institute.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The Convention setting up a European University Institute (EUI) states that accession to the Convention is restricted to European Union (EU) member states. When the UK ceased to be an EU member state, our formal membership of the Institute ended. The UK has been operating under the terms of an interim arrangement with the EUI since 2020, while discussions took place to explore the possibilities for future UK participation. It has not been possible to conclude a partnership agreement between us at this time.
The UK remains committed to strong research collaboration with our European partners, and remains open to exploring other opportunities for collaboration with the EUI in the future. UK universities will be able to continue to work with the EUI and engage in the collaborative research projects it leads.