The UK has rejected the EU’s proposal to facilitate youth mobility between citizens on both sides of the Channel. Last week, the EU Commission said it wants to begin negotiations with the UK to make it easier for young people of the EU and the UK to study, work, and live in each other’s territories for up to 4 years without having to undergo strict residency applications.
However, the UK government has immediately refused to start talks on the matter, stressing that it prefers to reach agreements with specific countries individually rather than with the entire bloc, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.
In its proposal, the EU Commission said that the movement of people between the two regions since Brexit has dropped significantly, stating that an agreement to tackle the current barriers that young people face is necessary.
They recommended that EU and UK citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 be permitted to stay for up to four years in the destination country without having to undergo visa procedures.
Under the same proposal, the Commission also set out terms for tuition fees in an attempt to make it easier for citizens of the EU and UK to study under facilitated rules in each other’s territories.
While the EU Commission said that this agreement would help to rebuild bridges, a UK government spokesman said that the country would not be introducing an EU-wide Youth Mobility Scheme or reintroducing freedom of movement.
According to Sky News, the spokespersons did say that the UK will remain open to reaching agreements with international partners, including individual member states of the EU.
The same source explains that the Labour Party has also ruled out the proposal of the EU Commission.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said that the proposal from the EU came due to allegations that the UK government is approaching other European countries with the purpose of establishing mobility agreements.
The spokesperson said that if the Labour Party wins the election, the Labour government will seek to improve the working relationship between the UK and the EU “with red tape”.
