Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban toured key European capitals last week.
| Photo Credit: AP

Hungary takes over the European Union’s (EU) rotating presidency on July 1, promising to be an “honest broker” despite widespread concerns over what critics see as an authoritarian, Russia-friendly government.

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has run the central European country since 2010 aiming to transform it into an “illiberal democracy”, frequently clashes with Brussels over rule-of-law and human rights issues.

He is also the only EU leader who has maintained ties with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine. He has refused to send arms to Kyiv and repeatedly slammed sanctions against Moscow over the war.

Last year, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution highlighting Hungary’s “backsliding” on democratic values, and questioning how it could “credibly” assume the bloc’s six-month presidency.

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“Ready to assume duties and responsibilities”

Budapest insists it is ready to assume “the duties and responsibilities” steering the bloc of 27 countries.

“We will be honest brokers, working loyally with all member states and institutions,” Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka said in mid-June as he unveiled the presidency’s programme.

“At the same time, we believe Hungary has a strong mandate to pursue a strong European policy. Our work will reflect this vision of Europe,” he added.

Hungary’s programme slogan? “Make Europe Great Again” — echoing the rallying cry of Mr. Orban’s “good friend” former U.S. President Donald Trump — which already caused a stir in Brussels.

After Hungary last held the EU presidency in 2011, Mr. Orban boasted about handing out “flicks,” “smacks,” and “friendly slaps” to the “excitable tormentors” of the European Parliament.

This time, the nationalist leader (61) is even more combative, having vowed to “occupy Brussels” during the campaign for European elections in early June, banking on a right-wing breakthrough.

But even though far-right parties made gains, Mr. Orban’s Fidesz party currently stands isolated, unable to find a group in the European Parliament that suits it.

On Sunday, Mr. Orban announced he wanted to form his own group, together with Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) and the centrist ANO party of ex-Czech premier Andrej Babis. They still need parties from at least four other countries to join them.

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Last week, Mr. Orban failed to derail a deal to return Ursula von der Leyen as head of the powerful European Commission and two others from a centrist alliance taking the other top jobs.

Meanwhile, Ms. von der Leyen put off a courtesy visit to Budapest, originally planned for the Presidency opening. A new date has not been set.

Seven priorities for EU presidency

To garner support for Hungary’s programme, Mr. Orban toured key European capitals last week. Among the country’s seven priorities for its EU presidency are stemming “illegal migration” and bringing the Western Balkans countries “one step closer” to EU membership.

Mr. Orban can use the presidency to set the agenda, but he cannot achieve results without the commission’s support, Daniel Hegedus, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund told AFP.

He also noted that the Hungarian premier has limited opportunity to act as a spoiler, as the outgoing Belgian presidency and EU institutions have rushed to conclude important decisions.

Last week, the European Union adopted a fresh sanction package against Russia and formally launched “historic” accession talks with Ukraine. “Everybody was striving to reduce instability, thus restricting the room for manoeuvre for the Hungarian presidency,” Mr. Hegedus said. “But more “trolling on the communication front” is to be expected,” he added.

Among Hungary’s battles with Brussels, Budapest is looking to unlock billions of euros in EU funds frozen over issues including LGBTQ rights, the treatment of asylum seekers and public procurement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas walk together to a media conference during an EU summit in Brussels, early on June 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

European Union leaders signed off on a trio of top appointments for their shared political institutions on Thursday, reinstalling German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission for another five years.

At the side of Ms. von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive branch, would be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.

“Mission Accomplished,” outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters after chairing a summit of the bloc’s leaders, as Ms. von der Leyen and Ms. Kallas accompanied him at a joint a news conference. Mr. Costa took part via video-link.

Ms. Von der Leyen expressed her gratitude for a shot at a second term of office, saying: “I’m very honored and I’m delighted to share this moment.”

Ms. Kallas, who as the EU’s top diplomat will lead the bloc’s foreign and security policy with Russia’s war on Ukraine in its third year, noted that “there is war in Europe, also growing instability globally. My aim is definitely to work for the European unity.”

Both Ms. von der Leyen and Ms. Kallas should now be approved by European lawmakers. Mr. Costa’s nomination only needed the leaders’ approval, and he will start in his new role in fall.

After the three centrist political families in the European Parliament struck a deal earlier this week, the top jobs package was widely expected to be approved without controversy at the summit in Brussels.

But far-right politicians, emboldened by their strong showing in EU parliament elections earlier this month, slammed it as a stitch-up.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made clear her displeasure at being excluded from preparatory talks with a small group of leaders who divvied up the top jobs. Her nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists group emerged as the third force in the EU parliament elections earlier this month.

Ms. Meloni voted against Portugal’s Costa and Estonia’s Kallas, two sources close to the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Ms. Meloni abstained on Ms. von der Leyen for European Commission president, the same sources confirmed. The officials requested anonymity in line with EU practice.

In a post on X, Ms. Meloni said the way that mainstream parties put forward the trio “is wrong in method and substance. I decided not to support it out of respect for the citizens and the indications that came from those citizens during the elections.”

Nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the only other major critic of the deal.

“European voters were cheated,” he said on Facebook Thursday evening. “We do not support this shameful agreement!” His objections were moot: the package only needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

The June 6-9 election saw the EU’s legislature shift to the right and dealt major blows to mainstream governing parties in France and Germany, but the three mainstream groups managed to hold a narrow majority of seats.

Mr. Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister, hails from the center-left Socialists and Democrats group, which came second. Ms. Kallas is prime minister of her tiny Baltic home country. She comes from the pro-business liberal group, which is also home to embattled French President Emmanuel Macron and lost seats in the June poll, trailing into fourth place.

EU top appointments are supposed to ensure geographic and ideological balance, but ultimately it is the 27 leaders who call the shots – and generally the most powerful among them.

While Mr. Costa’s appointment is decided by EU leaders alone, both Ms. von der Leyen and Ms. Kallas will also need to be approved by a majority of lawmakers. With 720 members, the threshold is 361. That vote could happen when the newly constituted European Parliament meets for the first time in July.

The European Council is the body composed of the leaders of the 27 member states. If confirmed, Mr. Costa’s role as president would be to broker deals within an often hopelessly divided political club. In Portugal, he is known as a savvy negotiator.

But Ms. von der Leyen’s role is the most powerful. As commission president, her job is to devise and implement the bloc’s shared policy on everything from migration to the economy and environmental rules.

With the far right pushing back against the flagship EU policies ushered through in the last five years, Ms. von der Leyen’s critics charge she is poised to roll back ambition.

Brussels:

European Union leaders agreed on Friday to nominate Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive body.

At a summit in Brussels, the bloc’s 27 national leaders also picked former Portuguese premier Antonio Costa as the future chair of their European Council meetings and selected Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the next EU foreign policy chief.

The leadership package represents continuity for the 27-member bloc, with centrist pro-EU factions keeping hold of top posts despite a far-right surge in elections to the European Parliament earlier this month.

The deal was announced by the current European Council president, Charles Michel, on social media.

The trio won broad backing from leaders but diplomats said right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained from the vote on von der Leyen and voted against Costa and Kallas.

Von der Leyen’s nomination still needs approval from the European Parliament in a secret ballot – widely seen as a trickier proposition than her endorsement by EU leaders.

At the summit, the EU also signed a security agreement with Ukraine, debated how to bolster EU defences against Russia and agreed bloc’s strategic priorities for the next five years.

The security deal underlines EU support for Kyiv fighting off Moscow’s invasion for a third year, despite gains by the far-right in European elections, uncertainty created by French snap elections and the U.S. presidential vote in November.

The agreement lays out the EU’s commitments to help Ukraine in nine areas of security policy – including arms deliveries, military training, defence industry cooperation and demining.

“These commitments will help Ukraine defend itself, resist destabilisation, and deter future acts of aggression – more concrete proof of the EU’s unshakeable resolve to support Ukraine for the long haul,” Michel said.

The leaders will reiterate their pledge to support Ukraine as long as it takes, stressing that “Russia must not prevail” and that Ukraine must get back the land annexed by Moscow.

DEFENCE DEBATE

The war in Ukraine laid bare the EU’s lack of preparedness for a conflict as the bloc struggles to supply Kyiv with enough weapons against Russia, prompting calls for more EU coordination of defence systems and investment in defence industries.

Diplomats said von der Leyen told the summit that between 1999 and 2021, the EU increased defence spending by 20%, China by 600% and Russia by 300%, even before Moscow’s massive rise in military spending after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to diplomats, von der Leyen told leaders the EU needed to invest 500 billion euros ($535.30 billion) in defence over the next 10 years. Financing options ranged from national contributions, dedicated revenue streams – called the EU’s own resources – and joint borrowing, von der Leyen said.

Investment in defence is part of the EU’s “strategic agenda” that the leaders aim to agree before dinner on Thursday – a document that tells EU institutions what European governments want them to focus on during their 2024-2029 term.

Apart from defence, the agenda calls for a more competitive EU to withstand economic pressure from China and the United States and for preparing the bloc for enlargement that would include Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center left, reviews the honour guard with Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatovic in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica, on Oct. 31, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Montenegro’s new government was confirmed on October 31, with the Prime Minister promising to unblock the Balkan nation’s stalled European Union integration process as a top EU official was set to hold talks in the small NATO member country.

Parliament approved the new Cabinet with 46 votes in favour and 19 against after a session that lasted all night. Montenegro’s Assembly has 81 members but not all were present at the vote.

The government was formed after months of political bickering that followed an election in June. The centrist Europe Now party of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic won the election but without enough support to form a government on its own.

To form the government, the winning coalition received backing from staunchly anti-Western groups under the condition that one of their leaders, Andrija Mandic, was elected as the speaker of parliament — an influential political position.

Mr. Spajic said his government would be pro-European despite Mandic’s election. He dismissed reports that his Cabinet would be influenced by neighbouring Serbia, from which Montenegro split in 2006 after an independence referendum.

“We can’t wait to make a result for our country,” Mr. Spajic told reporters. “We hope to unclog the European integration, move forward quickly and become the next member of the European Union.”

Mr. Spajic spoke shortly before EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was set to hold talks in the capital, Podgorica, as part of a tour of Western Balkan nations aspiring to join the 27-nation union. Ms. Von der Leyen visited North Macedonia and Kosovo before Montenegro and is slated to travel to Serbia later on Tuesday.

Six Western Balkan countries are at different stages on their path to join the EU, in a process expected to take years.

As the war rages in Ukraine, EU officials recently have sought to push the process forward and encourage Balkan nations to boost reform to join. Ms. Von der Leyen was discussing details of the 6 billion-euro ($6.37 billion) package for Western Balkan countries, along with tensions that still exist in the region long after ethnic wars of the 1990s.

Recent violence and tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have been high on von der Leyen’s agenda as the EU seeks to negotiate a solution for the dispute. Kosovo split from Serbia in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognize the former province’s independence.

In Montenegro, U.S. and EU officials have suggested that the country, should avoid introducing an anti-NATO and anti-Western political party into its coalition if it wants to join the bloc.

Mr. Mandic had called for close ties with Russia rather than the EU, criticized Montenegro’s NATO membership and was against splitting from Serbia. But, when elected as Parliament Speaker on Monday, Mr. Mandic said he is ready to “send some new messages.”

Hundreds of opposition supporters waving Montenegrin flags staged a protest in front of the parliament building in the capital against the new government. Opposition lawmakers criticized the new government as anti-European because of the participation of pro-Serb parties.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a news conference with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana, Albania, on Sept. 28, 2021. Leaders from the European Union and the Western Balkans are holding an annual summit in Albania’s capital to discuss the six countries’ path to membership in the bloc. fight.
| Photo Credit: AP

Leaders from the European Union and the Western Balkans will hold a summit in Albania’s capital on October 16 to discuss the path to membership in the bloc for the six countries of the region.

The main topics at the annual talks — called the Berlin Process — are integrating the Western Balkans into a single market and supporting their green and digital transformation. The nations in the region are Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The senior EU officials attending the summit in Tirana are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel. They will be joined by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The six Western Balkan countries are at different stages of integration into the bloc. Serbia and Montenegro were the first Western Balkan countries to launch membership negotiations a few years ago, followed by Albania and Macedonia last year, while Bosnia and Kosovo have only begun the first step of the integration process.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has put integration of the Western Balkans into the EU at the top of the 27-nation bloc’s agenda. The EU is trying to reinvigorate the whole enlargement process, which has been stalled since 2013, when the last country to become a member was Croatia.

The EU had made it a requirement for Western Balkans to reform their economies and political institutions before joining the bloc.

Ms. Von der Leyen mentioned a new growth plan for the Western Balkan countries that she will make public at the summit: opening new trade routes in seven specific areas of the EU’s common market for the Balkan countries, which need to implement quick reforms that in turn will be accompanied by investment.

Ms. Von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference on October 15 after meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, gave no further details.

A bitter dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008, remains a great concern for the EU before the summit. A recent shootout between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and sent tensions soaring in the region seems to have suspended the EU-facilitated dialogue to normalize their ties.

EU officials have called on the Balkan countries to overcome regional conflicts and stand together as Russia wages war in Ukraine.

The summit, which is being held for the first time in a non-EU member country, takes place at a pharaonic landmark, known as the Pyramid. It was built in 1988 as a posthumous museum for Albania’s communist-era strongman, Enver Hoxha.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left, and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, right, address the media during a joint press conference following a visit of the island of Lampedusa in Italy, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, and promised a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy deal with the situation.

Nearly 1,26,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022. The small island of Lampedusa has recently seen a sharp rise in the number of people arriving by boat, with more than 7,000 landing this week, more than the island’s permanent population.

Ms. Von der Leyen was accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the car carrying them to Lampedusa’s migrant reception centre was briefly blocked by locals protesting over the burden facing the island.

“We’re working on it … we are doing our best,” Ms. Meloni told the protesters.

Following the visit to the centre, Ms. von der Leyen, who is expected to run for a second term when her mandate expires next year, set out a 10-point “action plan” to relieve pressure on Italy, where most migrants arrive from North Africa’s shores by boat.

“Irregular migration is a European challenge and it needs a European response, we are in this together,” she said at a joint news conference with Ms. Meloni. “You can count on the EU,” she added in Italian.

The plan includes using the EU’s external borders agency Frontex to identify migrants arriving in Italy and repatriate those not eligible for asylum.

Frontex would also step up sea and aerial surveillance of migrant boats and help crack down on people-smugglers, Ms. von der Leyen said, adding that she had already spoken to several EU leaders about the plan and was confident of their support.

She promised to speed up the supply of equipment to the coastguard of Tunisia, currently the main departure point for sea migrants, and accelerate the transfer of funds to Tunis under a deal struck in July aimed at curbing migration.

Ms. Von der Leyen also vowed to increase access to legal channels for the migrants, saying “the better we are with legal migration the stricter we can be with irregular migration,” while committing to a sustained battle against traffickers.

The surge in migrant crossings is a major political headache for Ms. Meloni, who took office in October last year and has made fighting illegal immigration a cornerstone of her rise to power.

She reiterated on Sunday that the right approach is to prevent people leaving for Europe, not redistributing migrants around the bloc.

On Monday her Cabinet will meet to approve tough measures, including building new detention and repatriation centres and extending the maximum time migrants can be held for.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers the State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 13, 2023
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The European Union’s chief executive said Wednesday that her services will launch a major series of policy reviews to ensure that the 27-nation bloc can still function properly as it invites in new members in coming years.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU must prepare to grow to more than 30 members. Ukraine, Moldova and countries in the Western Balkans are among those in line.

Even at 27 strong, the world’s biggest trading bloc finds it difficult to make some decisions, particularly those requiring unanimous agreement. Hungary and Poland, notably, have come under fire from Brussels for democratic backsliding and they’ve routinely voted against foreign policy and migration decisions.

Still, pressure is mounting for Europe to open its doors. Concerns have been raised about Russia’s influence in the Western Balkans, particularly in Serbia and Bosnia. Some countries in the region have waited for years to join and have sometimes seen progress in their membership quest stymied.

“History is now calling us to work on completing our union,” Ms. von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. “In a world where size and weight matters, it is clearly in Europe’s strategic interest.”

At the same time, she said, “we need to look closer at each policy and see how they would be affected.” Ms. Von der Leyen said the commission’s reviews will examine how each policy sector in areas like the economy, energy, agriculture or migration would need to be adapted in the event of expansion.

“We will need to think about how our institutions would work — how the (EU) parliament and the commission would look. We need to discuss the future of our budget — in terms of what it finances, how it finances it, and how it is financed,” she said.

European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs summits of EU leaders, believes that new countries should be welcomed in by 2030. On Monday, the presidents of Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania also said that enlargement should happen “not later than 2030.”

Membership was vital “in view of the continued Russian aggression against Ukraine and its spillover effect” in the region, they said.

But Ms. von der Leyen insisted that “accession is merit-based,” and that the progress these countries make in aligning their laws with EU rules and standards should dictate the pace of membership, rather than some arbitrary deadline.

Ukraine and Moldova were officially granted EU candidate status earlier this year — an unusually rapid decision for the EU and its go-slow approach to expansion, prompted by the war in Ukraine.

At the same time, the EU’s leaders also agreed to recognize a “European perspective” for another former Soviet republic, Georgia.

Serbia and Montenegro were the first Western Balkan countries to launch membership negotiations. followed by Albania and Macedonia last year, Bosnia and Kosovo have only begun the first step of the integration process.

Ms. von der Leyen did not explicitly mention Turkey, whose membership talks started 18 years ago but are at a virtual standstill.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary was hit with a pie in the face by environmental protesters in Brussels on Thursday. According to the BBC, the airline chief was preparing to speak outside European Union headquarters when two female protesters dressed in black smeared him with two cream pies. 

A video going viral online captured the exact moment of the incident. “Stop the pollution,” shouted one of the women just before she smashed Mr O’Leary in the face. “Welcome in Belgium,” said another while hitting the airline chief in the back of the head with another pie. 

Watch the video below: 

“stop the pollution” is what the environmental activist shouted after she hit Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary with a pie during a press conference in Brussels. pic.twitter.com/nbHva1sA30

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) September 7, 2023

At the end of the video, while both of the women were seen walking away after the attack, Mr O’Leary appeared unfazed. “Well done,” he responded before wiping cream from his face and continuing with the planned press briefing. 

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Following the incident, Ryanair’s official account jokingly wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Mr O’Leary had received a “warm welcome in Brussels”. “Passengers so happy with our routes and petition that they’re celebrating with cake,” the post read. 

Warm welcome in Brussels today to celebrate RYR’s 7 new routes for Winter 23. Passengers so happy with our routes and petition that they’re celebrating with cake. We’ve got tasty low fares! pic.twitter.com/MpT6ssSX6a

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 7, 2023

“Instead of buying cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price,” the airline wrote in a subsequent post. 

Instead of buying cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price pic.twitter.com/8jruYI3ZxE

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 7, 2023

According to the BBC, Mr O’Leary was set to speak to the media about a petition he was presenting to Ursula Von Der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. “My only complaint was that the cream was artificial and not tasty,” the airline chief later joked at a news conference.

Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, the activists’ pie protest came as Ryanair pilots in Belgium announced a new strike on September 14 and 15 – their fourth stoppage in two months – over pay and working conditions. Mr O’Leary was outside EU headquarters reportedly with 1.5 million signatures demanding that flights be allowed to cross French airspace during air traffic control strikes there. 

Britain is to rejoin the Horizon Europe science research programme under a new bespoke deal, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office and the EU said on September 7.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Britain is to rejoin the Horizon Europe science research programme under a new bespoke deal, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office and the EU said on September 7.

“As part of the new deal negotiated over the last six months, the Prime Minister has secured improved financial terms of association to Horizon Europe that are right for the U.K.,” a statement said.

Horizon is a European Union scheme that funds research projects which the U.K. says it has been excluded from for the past three years, following Brexit.

The deal follows a call between Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 6.

“The EU and U.K. are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research,” Ms. von der Leyen said in a statement.

The deal means that U.K. researchers can apply immediately for grants and bid to take part in projects under the Horizon programme, the U.K. government statement said.

“Horizon will give U.K. companies and research institutions unrivalled opportunities to lead global work to develop new technologies and research projects, in areas from health to AI,” it added.

Britain previously said it had been excluded from the EU’s flagship Horizon Europe programme that funds research, nuclear regulator Euratom and the Copernicus satellite monitoring group.

London said it considered the delay to be a breach of the post-Brexit deal.

Just over a year ago, it launched dispute procedures with the EU over the exclusion, using a mechanism set out in a post-Brexit deal.

The British government said that its inability to participate in science and technology programmes was causing “serious damage” both in the U.K. and EU countries.

The EU responded by saying there were “serious difficulties” since the post-Brexit trading accord did not oblige the EU to make the UK an associate on such programmes.

Britain is to rejoin the Horizon Europe science research programme under a new bespoke deal, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office and the EU said on September 7.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Britain is rejoining the European Union’s $100 billion science-sharing program Horizon Europe, the two sides announced on September 7, more than two years after the country’s membership became a casualty of Brexit.

British scientists expressed relief at the decision, the latest sign of thawing relations between the EU and its former member nation.

After months of negotiations, the British government said the country was becoming a “fully associated member” of the research collaboration body U.K.-based scientists can bid for Horizon funding starting Thursday and will be able to lead Horizon-backed science projects starting in 2024. Britain is also rejoining Copernicus, the EU space program’s Earth observation component.

“The EU and U.K. are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who signed off on the deal during a call with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. “We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research.”

The EU blocked Britain from Horizon during a feud over trade rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member, the Republic of Ireland.

The two sides struck a deal to ease those tensions in February, but Horizon negotiations have dragged on over details of how much the U.K. will pay for its membership.

Mr. Sunak said he had struck the “right deal for British taxpayers.” The EU said Britain would pay almost 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion) a year on average for Copernicus and Horizon. The U.K. will not have to pay for the period it was frozen out of the science-sharing program, which has a 95.5 billion-euro budget ($102 billion) for the 2021-27 period.

Relations between Britain and the bloc were severely tested during the long divorce negotiations that followed Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU. The divorce became final in 2020 with the agreement of a bare-bones trade and cooperation deal, but relations chilled still further under strongly pro-Brexit U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr. Johnson’s government introduced a bill that would let it unilaterally rip up parts of the Brexit agreement, a move the EU called illegal.

Mr. Johnson left office amid scandal in mid-2022, and Mr. Sunak’s government has quietly worked to improve Britain’s relationship with its European neighbors, though trade friction and deep-rooted mistrust still linger.

British scientists, who feared Brexit would hurt international research collaboration, breathed sighs of relief at the Horizon deal.

“This is an essential step in rebuilding and strengthening our global scientific standing,” said Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute for biomedical research. “Thank you to the huge number of researchers in the U.K. and across Europe who, over many years, didn’t give up on stressing the importance of international collaboration for science.”

The U.K.’s opposition Labour Party welcomed the deal but said Britain had already missed out on “two years’ worth of innovation.”

“Two years of global companies looking around the world for where to base their research centers and choosing other countries than Britain, because we are not part of Horizon,” said Labour science spokesman Peter Kyle. “This is two years of wasted opportunity for us as a country.”