Brussels wants faster visa paths to lure US researchers

BRUSSELS — The European Commission wants European countries to speed up visa procedures to attract U.S. researchers.

The bloc’s research ministers are set to meet May 23 to discuss their plans to attract U.S.-based researchers who want to flee the country because of the Trump administration's budget cuts in science and research.

Research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva told POLITICO's AI & Tech Summit that the Commission plans to make some proposals to improve coordination among EU member countries.

“For example, visas, how fast we issue visas,” she said. “We want to motivate the member states to use the tools that we have faster, because the speed also matters.”

The Commission also plans to enshrine scientific freedom into law, as part of the European Research Area Act, which Zaharieva is expected to propose in 2026.

"Let's use this momentum, and this opportunity, and attract the brightest and best talents of the world," Zaharieva said.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a half-billion-euro plan to attract U.S. researchers.

Part of that funding will go into grants for researchers who want to relocate.

Zaharieva also referred to the U.S. crackdown on universities to make her case for sufficient money for science and research in the next EU seven-year budget, which starts in 2028. The Commission's college meeting of all commissioners discussed the matter Wednesday.

"We know that, speaking about science, that for our transatlantic friends science is not that important anymore," she said. "That's why the next budget is really important."

The Commission’s blueprint for the next budget, published in February, would see the bloc’s research and industrial programs merged into one “Competitiveness Fund” — a move that has proven controversial among researchers.

“The goal is really to boost our competitiveness” and the next EU budget “should be much more simple, much more focused,” Zaharieva said.