Open letter: deliver a UK-EU youth experience scheme

Dear Prime Minister and Nick Thomas-Symonds MP,

As organisations representing young people and campaigners, and policy makers committed to rebuilding educational and cultural ties between the United Kingdom and Europe, we are writing to urge the Government to take a pragmatic and constructive approach to finalising the proposed UK–EU Youth Experience Scheme ahead of the next UK / EU Summit.

This open letter is issued jointly by the Young European Movement and the National Campaign for Erasmus Plus, facilitated by European Movement UK.

The summit represents a critical opportunity to demonstrate that the UK and EU can work together in the interests of the next generation. We are concerned by reports that negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme risk becoming stalled by political sensitivities and avoidable obstacles. We believe this would be a serious mistake.

A Youth Experience Scheme is not about reopening old arguments about Brexit. It is about recognising the practical reality that young people in the UK have lost opportunities that previous generations took for granted: the opportunity to live, study, work, train and build relationships across Europe.

Before 2020, these opportunities existed automatically. Today, British young people face greater barriers to mobility in Europe than young people from countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, all of which already participate in UK youth mobility arrangements. There is no reason why young people in neighbouring European countries should be excluded from a similar framework.

The economic and social case for a UK–EU Youth Experience Scheme is strong. The UK Trade and Business Commission has identified the benefits such a scheme would bring through entrepreneurship, innovation, skills development and professional exchange. Young people who gain international experience return with language skills, cultural understanding, confidence and professional networks that strengthen the UK economy and workforce.

The current debate must therefore focus on solutions, not political symbolism.

We recognise that there are concerns within Government around migration, student fees and the practical operation of the scheme. However, these challenges are not insurmountable if approached with pragmatism and good faith.

First, the scheme must not be conflated with long-term migration or freedom of movement. Youth mobility schemes are time-limited and reciprocal. Evidence from the UK’s existing Youth Mobility Schemes suggests they do not contribute significantly to long-term net migration pressures. Young people come to learn, work, travel and contribute temporarily before returning home.

We therefore urge the Government not to allow fears around immigration headlines to derail an agreement that would benefit an entire generation. If safeguards are required, there are workable mechanisms available. Monitoring arrangements and proportionate review clauses can provide reassurance while avoiding unnecessarily restrictive caps that would undermine the spirit and effectiveness of the scheme.

Second, financial barriers must not make the programme accessible only to the wealthy. Opportunities to study, train and gain international experience should not become “the preserve of the privileged”. We urge both the UK and the EU to reach a sensible compromise on student costs and to minimise unnecessary financial burdens, including visa fees, healthcare surcharges and excessive savings requirements.

Third, this negotiation carries significance far beyond youth mobility alone. The success of the Youth Experience Scheme will be seen internationally as a test of the UK Government’s willingness to rebuild a practical and constructive relationship with Europe. Failure to reach agreement risks damaging confidence in wider UK-EU cooperation at a time when economic growth, skills development and international partnership are more important than ever.

Above all, this is about the future available to young people in the United Kingdom.

At a time when many young people feel locked out of opportunities, struggling with rising costs and facing an uncertain economic future, the Government has a chance to show leadership by reopening pathways for learning, cultural exchange and professional development across Europe.

We therefore urge the Government to prioritise agreement on the Youth Experience Scheme ahead of the next UK / EU Summit and to approach the remaining negotiations with flexibility, realism and pragmatism. We ask that:

1.     The government’s overriding focus should be on the benefits of the YES scheme for our young people and securing formal agreement with the EU in time for the July UK/EU Summit.

2.     Rather than seeking an artificial ‘cap’ on numbers in an attempt to allay concerns about free movement and immigration, which should not apply to young people on time limited visas, the government should seek instead to monitor numbers of young people participating in the scheme with provision for an emergency brake.

3.     Financial barriers to participation in the scheme should be minimised to ensure that it is socially inclusive and not “the preserve of the privileged”. This means that a compromise should be agreed on UK international student fees for EU students, and that additional visa, healthcare and savings requirements and costs should be minimised.

Young people should not become collateral damage in unresolved political debates. The benefits of this scheme are too important to lose.

Yours sincerely,

 

Alfred Quantrill, President of Young European Movement

Chris Hammond, The National Campaign for Erasmus+

Martin Cumella, The National Campaign for Erasmus+

Andrew Hadley, The National Campaign for Erasmus+

Ray Kirtley, The National Campaign for Erasmus+

Sir Nick Harvey, CEO of European Movement UK

Alice Barnard, CEO of Edge Foundation

Rosie Ferguson, CEO of UK Youth

Pauline Daniyan, CEO of London Youth

Dr Martin McMullan, CEO of Youth Action Northern Ireland

Julie Ward, Treasurer of Culture Action Europe

Maurizio Cuttin, Board Member of the Youth Council UK

Benjamin Sibille, Director and Founder of Collectif Pour un Service Civique Europeen

Alizee Motte, President of Multiperspectives

Moritz Hergl, President of Young European Federalists

Tim Beyerhelm, Chair of European Movement Merseyside

Sir Vince Cable

Tom Morrison MP

Pippa Heylings MP

Ellie Chowns MP

Matt Bishop MP

David Chadwick MP

Manuela Perteghella MP

Wera Hobhouse MP

Baroness Natalie Bennett

Baroness Carmen Smith

Lord William Wallace

Baroness Caroline Pidgeon MBE

Cllr Rachel Bresnahan

Cllr Dan Oliver

Cllr Niki Meerman

Cllr Mark Roberts, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Leader

Cllr Keith Holloway