The agreement reached at today’s summit, which aims to “reset” the relationship between UK and EU is to work together on a “youth experience programme”.
According to the UK Government, the reciprocal program “could allow young people to travel and work freely” again in Europe. The scheme would be “capped and limited in time” and would mirror the existing UK schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand.
In a EU statement about the agreement, it was stated that the two parties would work together to create a “balanced scheme for youth experience” under terms which they could mutually agree.
The statement read: “The scheme is designed to facilitate participation by young people in the EU and UK for a limited time period, whether it be through work, study, au-pairing or volunteering.
It should offer a dedicated visa pathway and ensure the total number of participants are acceptable for both sides.
The Youth Experience Scheme – although the document does mention “mobility”, it is intended to be applied to those aged 18-30.
The Prime Minister Sir Kierstarmer said that: “Today, we have agreed to work together on a youth-experience scheme, which will allow our young people the freedom to travel and to work in Europe. I am clear that it will include all of the necessary time limits, caps, and visa requirements.”
The prime minister was asked how many young people from EU countries he expected to come to Britain. He replied: “We will do everything by mutual agreement.” However, the agreement does not cover university fees.
The political will is clearly stated
Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission) said that both sides would now work on Erasmus+, the EU’s exchange program to support education and training, youth, and sport, and the youth experience scheme.
She said to reporters: “It is important that we sort out all the details and implement them.” The process is just beginning, but the political will in the document is clear. “We want to work on Erasmus+ and youth experience schemes – this is great news for young people.”
In the agreement, it is stated that both the UK and EC are to work together towards the UK’s association with the Erasmus+ program of the EU. The agreement states that the UK and EC should work towards the association of the UK to the Erasmus+ programme of the EU.
Maurizio cuttin, British Youth Council’s UK young ambassador at the European Youth Forum said: “At long last, the UK has given the green light to negotiate a youth mobility agreement with our European neighbors and embraced reentering the Erasmus+ scheme for youth exchange.
“Today’s UK/EU Summit marks an important step forward in recognising the fact that young people are the future and deserve greater recognition as the group most affected by Brexit.”
The deal signed today covers a wide range of cooperation areas, such as security, defence, and energy. It also extends the reciprocal access to fisheries waters until 2038.
“Horror Show” for Fishermen
Elspeth Mcdonald is the chief executive of Scottish Fishermen’s Federation. She said, “This deal for Scottish fisherman is far worse than Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit deal.”
“It’s clear that Sir Keir made the entire deal on the backs our fishermen and coastal communities by granting EU ships 12 years of uninterrupted access to UK waters in the last moment, just to achieve other objectives.”
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said that today’s summit was an important step in securing a closer relationship with Europe. The Ministers made the right decision by protecting key industries such as steel from carbon border taxes.
“And they’ve made important progress in removing trade barriers to boost British employment and give young people greater opportunities to work and study within the EU.
The botched Brexit deal by the Conservatives has set businesses and workers back in both the UK and abroad. It’s common sense to reset the relationship with the EU, especially in a volatile global economy.
“We’re clear: today is only the beginning. Both governments must maintain an ambitious strategy, which includes a commitment to collective bargaining and strong employment rights.
‘Gobsmacked’
Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party said that she was “astonished” at the 12-year concession made by government on fishing. She said, “We are once again becoming rule takers from Brussels.” With no information on a cap or time limit on youth mobility and with no specifics on any restrictions, the fears about a return of freedom of movement will only grow. “This is a very serious issue.”
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK Party, said: “If this is true, it will mean the end of fishing.”
Marley Morris, Associate Director for Migration, Trade and Communities at the Institute of Public Policy Research said that the UK-EU deal was more important than recent deals made with the US or India.
He said: “While the fishing industry might feel undervalued by the 12-year concession for access to water, a smoother trade of their products provides some balance. What are perceived as compromises in other areas could be mutually beneficial. “A youth experience programme, for example, will provide new opportunities to young people while giving our government complete control over migration.”
Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Talent-based businesses are essential to the growth and development of the economy. Any changes that accelerate this growth benefit both employers and recruiters.” Businesses will welcome sensible steps to remove trade barriers at the border without reopening Brexit discussions. The deal is a good start, but more needs to be done to help the UK maintain its primary strength in the services sector.
Brexit accelerated the exit of EU citizens from the UK and slowed the attraction. It made the UK less attractive as a base for European hubs of businesses. The steps taken today on youth mobility, goods trade and other issues are a step in the right direction. The real test is in the fine print, because if the text is too complex or limited, it could fail.
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