Government rejects EU proposal for youth mobility across Europe
The deal would make it easier for young Britons to live and work in the EU
Last updated 20th Apr 2024
The government has said it will be co-operating with the European Union on a proposed scheme to make it easier for young Britons to live and work in the EU.
A new scheme had been introduced by the European Commission on Thursday (April 18th), which outlined a potential plan for citizens aged between 18 and 30 to move to the EU with ease.
The Commission said that it would be reaching out to ministers in EU nations for the potential to open negotiations on the "youth mobility scheme".
However, Westminster ruled out any opportunity to work on the post-Brexit deal, saying that there was no interest from the UK government.
A spokesperson for the Government also added that "free movement within the EU was ended".
Labour also said that it would have rejected the proposal, explaining that the party would instead "seek to improve the UK's working relationship with the EU within our red lines - no return to the single market, customs union or free movement".
Currently, the UK has bilateral agreements with 13 other countries, and the Government said that it would prefer this individually instead of focusing on a deal to cover the entire bloc.
In order for the proposed plans to be implemented, the EU would have required unanimous agreement from all 27 states before negotiations within the UK could begin.
However, the spokesperson for the Government said: "We are not introducing an EU-wide Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) - free movement within the EU was ended and there are no plans to introduce it.
"We have successful schemes with 13 countries, including Australia and New Zealand, and remain open to agreeing them with our international partners, including individual EU member states, where it's in the UK's interest and supports the skills and opportunities of our youth."