Matteo Luigi Bianchi represented the ECR Group at the CoR-UK Contact Group that met today in Edinburgh, Scotland, underlining the potential and benefits for various synergies to be created in the EU and the UK for peer-to-peer exchanges. 

"The EU and the UK should be pragmatic in rebuilding their relationship, seeking closer cooperation in fields where there are mutual interests. There is a lot of potential in peer-to-peer exchanges, including for students and researchers", said Matteo Bianchi. 

The EU and the UK have faced tensions since Brexit, hindering cooperation and the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. However, with the conclusion of an agreement on the Windsor Framework in early 2023, new avenues for EU-UK cooperation have been opened up, including in peer-to-peer exchanges through the mobility of researchers and students.

Bianchi brought the example of the University of Milan that has several agreements with UK universities in various fields of study, including with the University of Edinburgh, leading to two-way mobility of students and researchers. Research and student cooperation "should be encouraged particularly in the fields of security and defence, as well as technology and finance, where the UK is particularly advanced", he concluded.