London remains open to a youth mobility deal with the EU, which Brussels has made a key stumbling block to Sir Keir Starmer’s Brexit “reset”, INews reports.
The chairmen of the European Parliament’s two committees recognised that discussing the EU’s request to ease youth migration to and from the UK had been “challenging” for the Prime Minister. But after talks with ministers during a visit to London, they said they believed the UK government was not rejecting Brussels’ plan and was “mulling it over”.
A deal on youth mobility is a key EU demand in Brexit reset negotiations if the Prime Minister wants new security and trade agreements. But the UK has been cold to the idea over fears it would be seen as opening the door to higher immigration.
Speaking at a press briefing in Westminster, David McAllister, chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said youth mobility should be treated separately from immigration because it was designed to tackle the “sharp decline in exchange among young people.”
After talks with British ministers, the German CDU politician said:
“My impression was that it is on their mind but it is obviously challenging. We need to separate this from the migration issue. These are young people who are coming to the United Kingdom for a limited time, most of them are not going to stay. Of course not. They’re going to go back. The whole idea is to spend some time in this great country to enjoy the excellent universities and also, of course, improve English language skills.”
German MEP Bernd Lange, a Social Democrat who chairs the International Trade Committee, said he believed the UK was still open to discussing youth mobility: “This does not mean abandoning the debate.”
EU waits for “concrete proposals”
Both MEPs also said the UK government had not yet decided what it wanted from the reset, despite having already voiced demands for a veterinary agreement, a security pact and easier mobility for musicians and professionals.
McAllister called for more detail and “concrete proposals”, quoting the Spice Girls band telling the UK to “tell us what you want, what you really, really want.”
Reflecting on Starmer heralding a new era in UK-EU relations, he added:
“Expectations were raised in Brussels, and they haven’t yet been delivered, and that’s why we are waiting for concrete proposals.”
Lange said:
“The vibe is good, the music is there, now we’re formulating the lyrics.”
It comes after Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann MEP, chairwoman of the security and defence subcommittee, suggested the UK and EU should co-operate more on defence procurement to reduce reliance on the US. She said that “we need to work together” as “there is something for everyone, every sector to do.” She also added that it was “very, very important to become more independent of the United States.” Strack-Zimmermann said:
“Because now, if we need something, we buy it in the US. And I think there is a big chance for development in Europe, the European Union, Great Britain.”
The European Commission’s draft proposal, which is likely to become a concrete proposal within weeks during talks in Brussels, calls for EU citizens aged between 18 and 30 to be given the right to travel to the United Kingdom for four years and vice versa.
The document also calls on British universities to stop charging Europeans higher tuition fees for international students. Both demands will be difficult for the government, which is under pressure from high levels of immigration and university funding problems, to accept.
