The European Union has taken a significant step by adopting its first common framework for scientific diplomacy, through the Council’s recommendation on a European framework for this area, approved on May 29, 2026.
The agreement is part of a process driven by the member states themselves, who called for the development of a European Agenda for Scientific Diplomacy. In response to that request, the European Commission adopted a recommendation proposal on February 27, 2026, which has led to the text now approved.
In the current international scenario, research and innovation have become assets of power. Technologies such as artificial intelligence or quantum computing concentrate an increasing part of the rivalry between major powers, while also increasing the risks associated with the transfer of sensitive knowledge. The European framework responds to this situation by combining openness in scientific cooperation with measures to protect knowledge and control risks.
The document marks a common line of action for governments, universities, and research centers, which is concretized in strategic actions such as improving coordination among European actors, strengthening the links between diplomatic services and scientific organizations, and greater integration of scientific evidence and foresight in foreign policy.
The approved text also focuses on the values that the European Union wants to project through scientific diplomacy, such as academic freedom, integrity in research, or respect for the rule of law, alongside broader principles such as democracy, human rights, or multilateral cooperation. Scientific diplomacy is conceived, in this context, as a tool in the service of peace, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order.
The framework seeks to bring order to an area that until now has functioned in a dispersed manner, supported by national strategies, informal networks, and projects linked to programs like Horizon Europe. Thus, academic diplomacy takes on a more defined role within scientific diplomacy and contributes to strengthening cooperation among diplomatic services, universities, and research centers, including alliances of European universities. Likewise, it is proposed to incorporate scientific diplomacy into the training of researchers and diplomats, in order to promote hinge profiles, capable of moving between research and foreign policy.
Geographically, the Council emphasizes strengthening relations with the so-called global south and developing shared scientific capacities to address common challenges in areas such as health, climate transition, or digital transformation. Among the proposals is the creation of a scientific diplomacy center in the Mediterranean, an initiative in the strategic phase, without defined location or concrete development.
The challenge from now on will be to translate this ambition into practice. The very decentralized nature of the European system, along with the diversity of national interests, raises questions about the degree of real coordination that can be achieved. The Council’s decision represents, in this sense, a relevant advance in the integration of science within European external action, with an increasingly explicit presence in its strategic architecture.
Sources: Council of the European Union; European Commission (Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European framework for science diplomacy); European Commission (Global Approach to Research and Innovation); European Commission (Horizon Europe); European External Action Service (Science Diplomacy).
