by the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group and the EESC External Relations' Section

Following Brexit and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from Erasmus+ projects, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) joined forces with young people and civil society organisations in the UK who believed that the programme was not merely a cost for the UK but a vital investment in the future of its young people.

In April 2024, the EESC adopted an own-initiative opinion on EU-UK Youth Engagement, drafted by Cillian Lohan (EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group), urging the European Commission to step up negotiations for the UK’s full reintegration into Erasmus+. This stance had the firm support of the European Youth Forum, the British Youth Council and numerous youth organisations across both the UK and the EU.

The EESC also partnered with the Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE) to launch a joint leaflet — 'Youth Participation: Connecting Youth, Creating Change in Europe and the UK'. Business groups, trade unions and civil society organisations, members of the EESC's Domestic advisory group under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, echoed this call in a statement issued on the 2025 EU-UK Summit, advocating for forward-looking initiatives to promote youth exchanges and opportunities for young workers, including renewed engagement with Erasmus+ and Creative Europe.

In a landmark development, December 2025 saw the EU and UK agree that the UK would re-join Erasmus+ from 2027. This breakthrough promises to reinvigorate international mobility and cooperation, especially for young people. The achievement stands as a testament to the EESC’s influence, its ability to involve and engage with civil society and the far-reaching impact of its advocacy at international level. It also proves that civil society can make a difference.

Background information:

Erasmus+ is the European Union’s flagship initiative for education, training, youth and sport, fostering opportunities for study, training, volunteering and cross-border partnerships. Before Brexit, the United Kingdom played a full and active role in the programme, with thousands of students from both the UK and the rest of the EU benefitting from exchanges and collaboration.

However, following Brexit, the UK opted not to participate as an associated third country in Erasmus+. This decision drastically reduced the UK’s access to Erasmus+ projects, leaving only a handful of opportunities open to British institutions and individuals: those available to participants worldwide. Simultaneously, EU students found their prospects for studying in the UK significantly reduced. By 2019, the number of EU students in the UK had already decreased by more than half, with a similar decline observed among British students heading to the EU.