EU-UK youth engagement

Key Points

The EESC:

• is convinced that civil society organisations (CSOs) in both the EU and the UK are uniquely placed to aid and facilitate EU-UK youth engagement;
• first and foremost, urges the EC to approach the UK about the possibility of negotiating an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership, which should aim to set out conditions for entry and stay for purposes such as research, study, training and youth exchanges;
• urges the EC to strengthen negotiations with the UK for the full reintegration of the UK into Erasmus+, a position which is officially backed by the European Youth Forum  and British Youth Council, as well as by many other youth CSOs across the UK and the EU;
• strongly supports the creation of a structured engagement between the EU, UK-level authorities and the devolved nations, with robust involvement of youth, including youth work and non-formal learning, to strengthen youth civil society dialogue and cooperation;
• encourages the EC to proactively engage with the UK to address the barriers to mobility of creative professionals, possibly including a reciprocal visa waiver for creative industries or a ‘cultural exemption’ from the EU-UK TCA;
• recommends a mapping of opportunities for young people to be carried out. This could be very helpful in building capacity to educate on the practical opportunities available to them. Clear career pathways should be articulated, with a need to deliver expert knowledge to young people through schools, cooperatives, and career advice.
• urges the Commission to liaise with the UK to revisit the issue of providing a physical backup of EU Settlement Scheme status, and to maintain funding to enable community groups, advocacy organisations and public authorities to provide relevant support;
• encourages the EU to liaise with the respective UK and Irish governments and the Northern Ireland Executive to join forces in raising awareness of the mission of the cross‑border PEACE PLUS programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.