ESA Considers Mars Sample Return On It's Own
ESA's First Step Towards Mars Sample Return
"If all goes according to plan, this is exactly what ESA's long-term Aurora programme of Solar System exploration will achieve a decade from now, when the first samples of Mars material will be sealed in a special capsule and returned to Earth for analysis."
Perhaps they want to avoid certain American luddites or just don't want to work with the US anymore.
Regards,
Mark