UK to withdraw from prestigious European University Institute

As the UK exits the European Union it will no longer be a member of the acclaimed European University Institute, an international centre for postgraduate and postdoctoral studies and research in Italy, the British government has said.

In a statutory instrument released on 7 February, the British government said that on Brexit day, the UK “will automatically fall out of” the convention that set up the EUI, and pledged to “explore options for ongoing engagement with the EUI”.

The EUI convention is an international treaty dating back to 1972, when it was signed by the then six members of the European Community: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The UK followed suit in 1975. This allowed it to participate in the EUI’s governance, contribute to its budget and provide grants for up to 20 post-graduate students at the institute at any one time.