
Image: EUI
The president of the European University Institute says he is shocked that the UK has decided to withdraw from the prestigious research centre located just outside the Italian city of Florence.
Renaud Dehousse told Research Fortnight on 7 March that while the possibility of the UK leaving the EUI due to Brexit had been mentioned at times since the 2016 referendum, there was never “any substantial discussion” around the issue.
“I think the news came as a real shock, because it was not really expected. We knew there was a possibility of course, but there was no signal suggesting that it was imminent,” said Dehousse, whose institute offers postgraduate study as well as research placements. “It’s bad enough to see the UK go, it’s actually worse if it happens overnight.”