EU-UK Youth Engagement

Background

The Future UK-EU Relationship report drawn up by the UK Parliament's European Affairs Committee infers that post-Brexit barriers to mobility between the EU and the UK have had the most significant impact on young people, including workers and professionals in the early stages of their careers, as well as students across different educational levels.

The EESC with this own-initiative opinion aims to contribute to improving EU-UK youth engagement and mobility. The Committee calls the Commission to strengthen negotiations with the UK for the full reintegration of the UK into Erasmus+. In addition, the EESC is focused on exploring and developing new tools of UK-EU youth engagement, a request stressed by youth representatives in all four territories in the UK.

As the European house of civil society and a youth champion, the EESC is committed to being a bridge between youth and decision makers, by providing a platform for young people to voice their concerns.

Key points

In the opinion, the EESC

• urges the European Commission to approach the UK Government about the possibility of negotiating an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership, that should set out conditions for research, study, training and youth exchange;
• 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;
• strongly recommends that structured inclusion of youth in existing engagement structures be established on both sides;
• calls for the establishment of a centralised and accessible information hub for young entrepreneurs, who continue to be impacted by Brexit, experiencing uncertainty around the market access, notably by the stringent new rules governing the movement of goods and services across the Channel.

Additional information

• EESC section: External Relations (REX)
• opinion type: Own initiative Opinion
• rapporteur: Cillian Lohan (Civil Society Organisations – GR III / Ireland)
• reference: REX/580-EESC
• date of adoption by section: 03/04/2024
• date of adoption in plenary: 24-25/04/2024
• Result of the vote in plenary: 154 for /2 against/1 abstention

Contact

Millie Tsoumani

• Press Officer, Tel.: +32 (0) 2 546 9088, Email: Amalia.tsoumani@eesc.europa.eu  

Sveto Trajkovski

• Administrator, Policy Officer, Tel.: +32 (0) 2 546 9969, Email: Sveto.Trajkovski@eesc.europa.eu