In view of the United Kingdom – European Union summit of 19 May 2025, the European Commission and the United Kingdom explored areas with the potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the European Union and the United Kingdom, including the possibility of rejoining Erasmus+, the EU’s mobility scheme.
Eurodesk welcomes this positive development and the possibility of reintegrating UK youth into Erasmus+.
“Eurodesk was founded in Scotland, United Kingdom, in 1990. We were deeply saddened to lose our British colleagues - the national Eurodesk and our valued local multipliers - following Brexit. However, we always believed that one day they would rejoin our community. Now is the time to renew our collaboration and work together towards a brighter future for young people in Europe.”
- Audrey Frith, Eurodesk Director
The UK Government and the European Union have committed to exploring the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ scheme.
Specifically:
- The European Commission and the United Kingdom should work towards a balanced youth experience scheme on terms to be mutually agreed. The scheme should facilitate the participation of young people from the European Union and the United Kingdom in various activities, such as work, studies, au-pairing, volunteering, or simply travelling, for a limited period of time. It should provide a dedicated visa path and ensure that the overall number of participants is acceptable to both sides.
- Furthermore, the United Kingdom and the European Commission should work towards the association of the United Kingdom to the European Union Erasmus+ programme. The specific terms of this association, including mutually agreed financial terms, should be determined as part of that process in order to ensure a fair balance as regards the contributions of and benefits to the United Kingdom.
