EU courts international scientists, but is Europe attractive enough?
11:35
The EU says science is the key to its future. But is it putting its money where its mouth is? Earlier this year, the French government agreed to cuts in the country's research budget and over the past year, science powerhouses such as Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have proposed or implemented cuts in their research sectors. Those working in universities and research centres say there is a stark gap between the way the EU is presenting itself as a magnet for global talent – the pitch that the French government and the European Commission made at their "Choose Europe for Science" conference in Paris in early May – and the reality.
To make Europe more attractive, the EU executive says a €500 million package will be proposed for the 2025-2027 period. Part of that outreach is aimed at American researchers, who say their work is being jeopardised by the Trump administration's cuts. But the €500 million sum is the equivalent of just a fraction of the yearly endowment of a top US university such as Harvard or Yale.
We delve into the issue with two MEPs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trump administration halts visas for people from Gaza
A day after conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the US for medical treatment and questioning how they got visas, the State Department said it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending a review. The State Department said Saturday, August 16, that the visas would be stopped while it looks into how "a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas" were issued in recent days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday told Face the Nation on CBS that the action came after "outreach from multiple congressional offices asking questions about it." Rubio said there were "just a small number" of visas issued to children in need of medical aid but that they were accompanied by adults. The congressional offices reached out with evidence that "some of the organizations bragging about and involved in acquiring these visas have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas," he asserted, without providing evidence or naming those organizations. As a result, he said, "we are going to pause this program and reevaluate how those visas are being vetted and what relationship, if any, has there been by these organizations to the process of acquiring those visas." A 'national security threat' Loomer on Friday posted videos on X of children from Gaza arriving earlier this month in San Francisco and Houston for medical treatment with the aid of an organization called HEAL Palestine. "Despite the US saying we are not accepting Palestinian 'refugees' into the United States under the Trump administration," these people from Gaza were able to travel to the US, she said. She called it a "national security threat" and asked who signed off on the visas, calling for the person to be fired. She tagged Rubio, President Donald Trump , Vice President JD Vance , GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Trump has downplayed Loomer's influence on his administration, but several officials swiftly left or were removed shortly after she publicly criticized them. The State Department on Sunday declined to comment on how many of the visas had been granted and whether the decision to halt visas to people from Gaza had anything to do with Loomer's posts. HEAL Palestine said in a statement Sunday that it was "distressed" by the State Department decision to halt visitor visas from Gaza. The group said it is "an American humanitarian nonprofit organization delivering urgent aid and medical care to children in Palestine." A post on the organization's Facebook page on Thursday shows a photo of a boy from Gaza leaving Egypt and headed to St. Louis for treatment and said he is "our 15th evacuated child arriving in the US in the last two weeks."
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
Washington becomes the showcase for Trump's security policy
Residents of Washington, DC have gradually grown accustomed to the presence of uniformed troops and armored vehicles in the city's streets. On Monday, August 11, the American president announced that he would take control of the local police and requisition the National Guard, aiming to counter what he described as a crime wave affecting the capital. The majority of military personnel and federal agents are now deployed on the ground. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service, Border Patrol, US Marshals... The Washington Post mapped the presence of 10 federal agencies, representing the full range of American law enforcement. Meanwhile, the city's Democratic authorities have sought to mount a legal response. After initially announcing their cooperation with the Trump administration, the city's mayor and the district's attorney general – both Democrats – filed a lawsuit to contest the decision placing police chief Pamela Smith under the authority of DEA chief Terry Cole.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelensky for meeting with Trump
00:55 17/08/2025 Trump drops ceasefire demand, echoing Putin's position and jittering Ukraine Europe 17/08/2025 Fires keep burning in southern Europe as army is deployed in Spain Europe 17/08/2025 Tensions soar in Serbia as protesters clash with police, set fire to party offices Europe 16/08/2025 'Fear' in Ukraine following Trump-Putin talks Europe 16/08/2025 Russia-Ukraine: Is negotiating a peace treaty realistic at this stage in the war? Europe 16/08/2025 Serbia: Fresh clashes erupt in Belgrade after days of unrest Europe 15/08/2025 REPLAY: The warm handshake between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin Europe 14/08/2025 Alaska Summit: Behind all of the praise, is Putin simply luring Trump in? Europe 13/08/2025 Ukraine will be in 'a situation similar to that of Germany in the Cold War' after ceasefire Europe
