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British youth were cut off from the benefits of youth mobility when the UK introduced its brexit rules in 2019. Many feel that it was a case of self-harm, given the benefits of allowing young people to gain professional and language skills by working in EU countries.

But the decision was a political one, as enabling British young people to work in EU countries would inevitably allow young EU nationals to work in Britain. In the current touchy debate around migration, this was a difficult pill for many politicians to follow.

It was hoped that when the Labour party took power things might change. This has not happened but some Cab­inet min­is­ters are reportedly begin­ning to make the case for a youth mobil­ity scheme des­pite actual oppos­i­tion from the Home Sec­ret­ary, Yvette Cooper.

She has stated that a deal on easier youth migra­tion would weaken the gov­ern­ment’s goal of bring­ing down net migra­tion. Although the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer would like to “re-set” the relationship with the EU, he “can’t coun­ten­ance any­thing that looks like free­dom of move­ment”.

Bullying tactics of Trump

The bullying tactics of Trump have pushed the two sides to talk together more clearly on broader issues. “It is very important that we work closely together between the UK and the EU when it comes to how we develop the wider relationship with the US,” Chancellor Scholz was reported by Euractiv to have said when he visited Sir Keir at Chequers on February 2.

The EU has already made clear it is will­ing to make con­ces­sions. Yet the Prime Min­is­ter’s offi­cial spokes­man nonetheless reit­er­ated that the gov­ern­ment has “no plans” for a youth mobil­ity scheme, adding that there would be “no return to free­dom of move­ment”.

In parallel, it was reported that the other EU youth mobility programme, Erasmus+ had, by the end of 2023, provided opportunities for 15.1 million people to study, train, work and volunteer abroad since its start in 1987.  

(ML. Sources: The Scotsman, Euractiv. Photo: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels)
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-s-white-dress-shirt-901424/Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-s-white-dress-shirt-901424/Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-s-white-dress-shirt-901424/