The EU’s former chief negotiator has piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to strike a deal with Brussels that would allow young people to live and work in Europe as part of his post-Brexit reset.
In a policy brief setting out the potential future EU-UK relationship, Ignacio Garcia Bercero called on the prime minister to strike an agreement on youth mobility and cultural facilitation as part of a series of deals with Brussels to complement the existing trade and cooperation agreement (TCA), which currently governs trade with the bloc.
Sir Keir has so far ruled out agreeing to such a scheme, which would let under-30s live, study and work across the bloc for a period, despite it being one of the EU’s top priorities in renewed talks.
Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, told The Independent that a deal on youth mobility is in the interests of British workers, students, apprentices and businesses. She noted existing deals with countries including Japan, Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand, which allow Britons to live, study and work there for up to two years.
“It makes sense to do one with our neighbours to open up opportunities for our young people,” she added.
Ms Creasy said: “Given the restrictions it places on participants, it’s very clearly not free movement either, so the sooner we agree some terms and conditions for such a scheme the better as far as the labour movement for Europe is concerned.”
James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrats spokesperson on Europe, said: “The youth mobility scheme is a chance to open doors for the next generation – fostering cultural exchange, building lifelong connections, and giving young people the opportunity to broaden their horizons.
“The EU is ready, the public are behind it, and it’s time for the government to step up and make it happen.”
The fresh calls come months into the PM’s much-hyped reset in post-Brexit relations with Brussels, after years of acrimony under the Conservatives. He will meet European leaders for a summit in the first half of next year ahead of the renewal of the TCA later in 2025.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Garcia Bercero said a repeat of previously frustrated Brexit talks can be avoided if Sir Keir is willing to “explore the margins of flexibility around the red lines” he set during the general election – no return to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market.
“An agreement to negotiate an EU-UK youth mobility scheme has become a threshold issue for the reset,” he said.
And he warned: “Although it does not constitute a trade agreement, there is a risk that failure to launch negotiations on youth mobility may derail negotiations on the trade agenda.”
Mr Garcia Bercero said it is “therefore urgent and essential that both sides engage in discussions to test respective flexibilities”.
As well as the legally binding agreements to sit alongside the TCA, Mr Garcia Bercero also called for a new framework to reinforce regulatory cooperation, as well as a ministerial forum to increase cooperation on global trade and economic challenges.
And Richard Kilpatrick, policy expert at European Movement UK, said: “If done correctly, reimagining the UK-EU relationship offers huge potential for mutual gain.
“There are already plans for an EU-UK summit in the first half of next year. If the government is serious about turning around our sluggish economy, then closer ties with our largest trading partner are the way to do that.
“A veterinary agreement, a youth mobility scheme and closer security cooperation are all areas ripe for kicking off a much closer UK-EU relationship in future.
“The government also needs to begin an independent, forward-looking inquiry into the true economic cost of leaving the EU, its ongoing impact on all our finances, and look very seriously about how best to mitigate that damage in the years to come.”
A government spokesperson said: “There are no plans for a youth mobility scheme and we will not return to freedom of movement.”
