British ministers are considering allowing EU youth to live and work in the country, reports The Times newspaper.
British ministers are considering allowing EU youth to live and work in the country, says The Times -newspaper. Freedom of movement was cut off with Britain’s exit from the EU.
According to The Times magazine, the sympathy of the new British government, which started in July, is increasing towards the youth visa program. According to The Times, ministers have told the newspaper privately that the government must agree to new visas if it wants to improve its relations with the European Union.
In practice, EU citizens aged 18–39 would be given the right to live, work, study or do voluntary work in Britain for three years. British youth would get the same right in EU countries.
However, you shouldn’t get your hopes up just yet. The government led by the Labor Party has not yet made a proposal on the matter.
So far, the party has generally denied that it wants to allow youth movement or free movement.
Negotiations will probably start in the fall
The EU proposed a visa program for young people last spring. The EU also wants to restore the Erasmus exchange program for university students.
The British government wants to especially improve trade relations with the EU. It wants to facilitate the movement of foodstuffs. It also wants the EU to accept British degrees. The implementation of wishes may mean that Britain has to make concessions.
Prime minister Keir Starmer meet the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in the coming weeks. If the freedom of movement of young people comes up on the agenda, the negotiations would only start later in the fall.
The Times magazine previously reported that Keir Starmer had discussed the youth movement with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez with the meeting of the European political community in England at Blenheim Palace in July.
According to opinion polls, more than half of the British already regret Brexit. However, the government does not intend to apply for union membership again.