The government announced today that the UK will rejoin Erasmus+ in January 2027, unlocking millions of opportunities for young people.

It’s a huge win for our campaign, and a big positive step on our journey to strengthen our relationship with Europe.

The joint statement from the EU and UK is here.

This achievement belongs to every single one of our members, supporters, partners and allies across the country and Europe.

Our movement wrote to MPs, signed petitions, shared stories, organised events, briefed decision-makers and kept the case for Erasmus+ alive. Without our supporters’ energy, commitment and belief, this simply would not have happened.

Being part of Erasmus+ will benefit up to 100,000 people a year - not just students, but apprentices, trainees, adult learners, schools, and more. And it will open up a pathway to more young Europeans spending time in the UK, as well, rebuilding the sense of shared European identity that was snatched away by Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit.

Reacting to the announcement, Alfred Quantrill, 21, President of Young European Movement UK said:

"The news that the UK looks set to rejoin Erasmus+ is very welcome, and long overdue. Young Brits deserve the same chances enjoyed by most of their peers across the continent.

"A commitment to the Erasmus+ Scheme will reopen doors for British young people through education. It will also mean opening up broader access to apprenticeships, internships, and leisure.

"While our parents could freely work, study and travel across borders, my generation is trapped by lost opportunities, red tape and high costs. Erasmus+ is a chance for the Government's to fix this failure."

Sir Nick Harvey, CEO of European Movement UK, added:

"This announcement has been hoped for for some time. Alongside a defence pact between the UK and EU, it was seen as a clear pathway towards closer ties in the UK-EU reset announced earlier this year, and a concrete example of thawing relationships.

"The UK's former hostility to the idea could not be justified when the benefits of such a scheme are so obvious. Dismissing the idea simply meant letting down British young people who face all sorts of economic difficulties, and have seen their horizons curtailed by Brexit.

"Young people want and deserve the chance to study or work in Europe. The government owes it to them to make sure they get that chance, and rejoining Erasmus+ is a giant step forwards."

First, we rejoined Horizon Europe. Today, Erasmus+. But it doesn’t end here - next, we look towards a wider youth mobility scheme, then working towards rejoining the Customs Union and Single Market.

The joint statement also said that agreements will be made on bringing the UK into the EU's internal electricity market, a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and on linking Emissions Trading Systems.

The statement reads:

"The Commission and the United Kingdom will proceed swiftly on the United Kingdom's association to Erasmus+ and on the negotiations of the United Kingdom's participation in the internal electricity market of the European Union in accordance with their respective procedures and legal frameworks and in respect of each other's decision-making autonomy.

"The United Kingdom and the European Commission underline their commitment to implementing the outcomes of the May 2025 Summit in a timely manner, and aim in particular by the time of the next EU-UK Summit to conclude the negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme, on establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area and on linking our Emissions Trading Systems."

In the face of the money and resources of our opposition, we are making remarkable progress - and we have momentum on our side to go further, still.

So today we celebrate. Tomorrow, our work continues in building a closer and deeper relationship between the UK and Europe.