EU member states have adopted a recommendation setting out a new European Union framework for science diplomacy, outlining how scientific cooperation should support the bloc’s external relations.
The framework describes science diplomacy as using science, scientific evidence and international scientific cooperation to inform and support foreign policy, the Council of the EU informed on Friday.
It also covers the use of diplomacy to support international research and scientific progress.
The Council said the recommendation treats science as a “global public good” and describes scientific collaboration as a way to build trust and facilitate dialogue with non-EU countries.
It also calls for “open and secure” international cooperation in research and innovation, including work with non-EU countries associated to Horizon Europe — the EU’s main research funding programme.
The recommendation says the EU should maximise the impact of science diplomacy in promoting its values, including freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
It also says scientific goals should be balanced against foreign and security policy interests, including by assessing risks and opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
Call for partnerships and a Mediterranean centre
The Council stated that the recommendation includes a commitment to strengthening partnerships with the “global south” to support research capacity and address shared global challenges. It specifically calls for the creation of a Mediterranean science diplomacy centre.
Member states are encouraged to set up support arrangements to coordinate science diplomacy across government and with stakeholders, and to build links between diplomatic services and universities and other research-performing organisations.
The text also calls for science diplomacy to be integrated into education and training programmes to raise awareness among future generations.
The recommendation also asks the European Commission to strengthen monitoring of major global developments in research, technology and innovation — including the increased use of AI in science — and to assess their implications.
It also stresses the need to maintain research security and align science diplomacy work with the EU’s external action.
“Science diplomacy is no longer a peripheral endeavour – it is a core strategic imperative,” Nicodemos Damianou, Cyprus’s deputy minister for research, innovation and digital policy, said in the statement published by the Council.
The Council noted that recommendations are non-binding EU acts that do not have legal consequences, but provide guidance on the interpretation or content of EU law.
