Over three years following Brexit, a new European Commission proposal aims to simplify long-term stays for British and European youths across the Channel.
“The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has particularly affected young people in the EU and the UK. Today, we are taking the first step towards an ambitious but realistic agreement between the EU and the UK that would remedy this problem,” Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic stated.
The proposal lays out the conditions required to be filled in; age, maximum length of stay of the visit, eligibility rules, and the guidelines to verify compliance with these conditions, in order for the youths to be allowed to travel without them being tied to any particular condition or quota.
"The objective would be to facilitate youth exchanges, making it easier for young EU citizens to travel, work and live in the UK, with reciprocity for young UK nationals in a Member State."
Following the UK’s departure from the EU, mobility has been dictated by immigration rules of the EU, its Member States, and the UK. This has led to a decrease in such mobility.
The proposal now awaits Member States’ mandate for the Commission to negotiate. However, the UK currently shows no interest, but the European Commission suggests the two parties should leave room for discussion, in parallel with the potential to reinclude the UK in the Erasmus+ exchange programme.
