Politico: Europe wants to lure US scientists who were laid off under the Trump administration

European countries are developing a strategy to lure researchers from other countries, in particular from the United States, where the government is cutting education spending.

This is reported by Politico.

Twelve countries have sent a letter to the European Commission saying that Brussels needs to “attract talent from abroad”. They are talking about scientists who “could suffer from unmotivated and cruel funding cuts”. The appeal was signed by France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania.

The letter does not mention the United States directly, but there are indications that it refers to American scientists.

“The current international context reminds us that scientific freedom can be threatened anywhere and at any time,” the text states.

In an interview with Politico, French Minister of Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste stressed the need to urgently organize to "welcome talents who would like or need to leave the United States".

The allies have put forward proposals in the letter to help attract scientists, including targeted funding, immigration policies and strengthening partnerships with “other leading scientific countries”. They are calling on the European Commission to convene a meeting of EU education and science ministers in the coming weeks to develop a plan.

• After Donald Trumpʼs inauguration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched in Washington under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk. This structure should increase the efficiency of the American government in a year and a half. As part of the governmentʼs spending cuts, the US government, among other things, suspended aid programs to other countries and offered federal officials the opportunity to resign and receive compensation.
• The US Department of Education will cut its staff by almost half. The departmentʼs employees who will be laid off will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21.

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