EU suspends Horizon Europe for Russia and cross-border and transnational cooperation with Moscow and Minsk

Following the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the European Commission has suspended cooperation with Russia and its ally Belarus on a number of joint programmes.  

On 4 March, Commission suspended cooperation with both countries in the European Neighbourhood Instrument cross-border cooperation programme (ENI CBC), which supports sustainable development along the EU’s external borders, as well as in the Interreg Baltic Sea region programme. 

The suspension has immediate effect and affects the nine ENI CBC programmes. No further payments will be made to Russia and Belarus under the programmes. 

At the same time, the European Commission is urgently exploring possibilities to strengthen the existing cross-border cooperation programmes between EU countries (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) and Ukraine, as well as the participation of Ukraine in the ENI CBC Black Sea Basin Programme and the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme. 

The European Commission has also decided to suspend cooperation with Russian entities in research, science and innovation.The Commission will not conclude any new contracts nor any new agreements with Russian organisations under the Horizon Europe programme. Furthermore, the Commission is suspending payments to Russian entities under existing contracts. All ongoing projects, in which Russian research organisations are participating, are being reviewed – both under Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, the previous EU programme for research and innovation.

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Press release

European Neighbourhood Instrument cross-border cooperation programme