What’s going on in Europe: 8-21 March

This week: AI oversight, gender equality, climate research and more

South Korea ties

A deal on South Korea joining the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe “seems imminent”, a senior political figure from the country has said. Park Sang-wook, senior secretary to the president on science and technology, said negotiations on his country joining the EU programme as an associated country are nearing completion, according to Korean media outlets. Formal talks have been ongoing since May 2023, as the EU has been pushing to make its R&I programme more global. The Czech embassy in Seoul also reported that the European Commission was “confident” that Korean association to Horizon Europe would start in 2025.