- “Thank you chair. Thank you honourable members. I will indeed try to give a little bit of an overview of what has happened yesterday, because it's incredible. But this is a very timely debate because indeed, the EU summit took place yesterday and I think maybe to the surprise of many, there have been very positive developments, particularly when it comes to the policy areas which are under the remit of the of the committee. But maybe let me start off by first having a look at the trade and cooperation agreement itself. And there I think we fully share the appreciation of Mrs. Farang in the in the sense that we don't see major issues in terms of implementation of the trade and cooperation agreements, particularly in the areas of education, youth, culture and sport, because they are largely absent. So I think it's more a matter of not being there than a matter of incomplete or inappropriate application. So that is why I think I would like to mention a few elements on which we felt there was a lack in the TCA and where we have seen, I think, over the recent days, major progress. I think the first important element that has already been mentioned was the fact that the UK decided not to associate to Erasmus+. This, I mean, needless to say, has heads and we can still see it. Major implications for young people in terms of their possibilities to engage with the UK, or for young people from the UK to come to the to the EU.”
EU engagement with youth · EU-UK relations
- “And also on this point I will come back with some positive news. And finally, another element which is not, in our view, sufficiently covered in the TCA is the issue of touring artists there. The Commission's proposal, when negotiating with the UK was to include provisions on touring artists in the TCA. The UK did not want to engage in this discussion, and this means that currently the rules which are in the TCA on services, customs and haulage remain the main point of reference. But also there there was some interesting language at the end of the EU UK summit. So maybe let me come come back to the latest developments and what we have learned yesterday as the outcome of the summit between the EU and the UK. I think as a starting point, what is, I think important to stress is a clear recognition from both sides, from both the EU and the UK side, that it is in the mutual interest to deepen our people to people ties, in particular for the younger generation. I think it's a very positive message that five years down the line, we are now in a different situation and we can see the benefits of increased people to people exchanges. In concrete terms, what does it mean? Both parties agreed to work towards a balanced youth experience scheme.”
EU engagement with youth · EU-UK relations
- “Yes. Hi, chairperson. Hi. Honourable members of the of the committee. Many thanks for giving the floor to the European Commission. I think we would like to start off by thanking the Parliament as a whole for this initiative, to prepare a report on the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which should provide a valuable assessment of the agreement's progress. The Commission also welcomes the fact that the board Committee is in the lead at the FAA and IATA Committee, that its draft report represents a similar assessment of the impact of the implementation of the TCA, as compared to the Commission's own report that was published on 4th April. We also note that the Commission and board groups share similar priorities for strengthening the UK's relations, including in key areas such as security, defence, trade and space. We underline the importance of a level playing field and we as the commission, we also very much welcome the draft opinion dealing with the elements in relation to education, culture and youth. I would like to thank in particular the rapporteur, Mrs. Farang, for this. We know that several of the proposals made in the draft opinion are about new actions, rather than the implementation of the agreement as such, which indeed is justified by the fact that the agreement remains silent on most of the topics that we are discussing today. The Commission does not necessarily have an opinion on all of those new proposals at this stage, but would like to address some of the issues in the exchange of views on youth and Erasmus+ under the following agenda item. The Epp's report findings and recommendations should inform the Commission's ongoing work to implement the TCA and deepen our EU UK cooperation. We also remain committed to the implementation and the full implementation of the TCA and we continue to monitor its application. The Commission looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the European Parliament to ensure the effective implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and to promote a strong and stable EU UK partnership. Thank you.”
EU engagement with youth · EU-UK relations
- “But it also hampered more broadly the cooperation in the area of education, youth and sport. And I think it is important to say that the European Parliament and in particular this committee, has been strongly insisting on this point and making the point that it is a missed opportunity for the UK not to associate to Erasmus+. I think this committee has been very vocal on the fact that touring, and I heard it this morning as well, is not, or cannot be considered as an alternative to Erasmus+. And I think this committee was also extremely supportive to the policy initiatives by the Welsh and the Scottish and their push for association to Erasmus+. And I think that this insistence has now been bearing fruit. And I would like to come back to this in a moment. But the second issue on which we saw a lack of opportunities was, in fact the fact that. There was no provision for youth exchanges under the TCA, and this has hampered the opportunities for young people to work, volunteer, study or travel for a younger for a longer period in the UK. And equally for UK youth and UK citizens to do the same in the EU. For example, we have seen a massive drop in the number of EU 27 students pursuing full degree studies in the UK due to the fact that now those students are subject to the international study fees and no longer can benefit from the home fees. And to address these issues, the Commission already proposed last year in 2020 for a Youth Experience scheme, which would address some of the main and major problematic issues, and ensure that there would be a solution at EU level rather than negotiations with individual member states.”
Youth employment & training · EU volunteering programs · EU-UK relations
- “So this of course will not replicate free movement, but it will facilitate the participation of young people in various activities such as work studies or volunteering or travelling for a limited period of time. So a lot of details will still have to be settled in the concrete negotiations, but we consider this openness from the UK side as a major breakthrough, and from our side it will remain important to be ambitious when discussing the details of this agreement with the UK in the weeks and months to come. Secondly, both sides yesterday in the Common Agreement also agreed to work towards the Association of the UK to Erasmus+. Once again, let us be clear we are not there yet. We still have the negotiations ahead of us, but we consider this as a major step forward in the sense that the UK is now showing for the first time openness, and from our side we will constructively engage with the UK in the upcoming negotiations. I think I have heard it just in the discussion a few minutes ago, that this would clearly be a win win, both for the EU 27. As for the UK, and finally, as a last element, I would like to mention culture, because also there is some useful language in the common agreement in the sense that both sides recognise the value of travel and culture and artistic exchanges, including the activities of touring artists. Thank you.”
Legal migration · EU volunteering programs · EU-UK relations
- “Yes, sir. Thank you. Chair. Thank you also to Mrs. Frank for the for the questions. Um, let me start and then we will see what what else can be added because it's all very fresh as we heard from the EU delegation in London. The ink is still drying. Um, but on the Youth Experience scheme, I think our commitment would be to start negotiations with the UK as soon as possible in terms of the duration. My understanding is that the Commission initially proposed three years. Council is looking at two years. Uk might try to reduce this, but I think that's indeed one of the elements that will be subject to negotiations. Um, and on which we will hopefully be able to to stick to the commission proposal or the, the, the proposal that has then been revised by the Council. Um, on the association of Erasmus+. So there um, it is something that will require in-depth discussions because it's also linked to the other question by the MEP, an issue of the entry fee. So the UK will have to pay an entry fee into Erasmus+ programme, which could be substantial. Um, and the second requirement is that the UK will have to set up a national agency because, as you know, 80% of the budget of Erasmus+ is implemented through national agencies in the country, which are either member state or country associated with the programme. So there of course, the UK has been associated in the past, so they know the systems. So they had had a national agency which was operational. So it can go relatively quickly, but it is not realistic to think that uh, we would be able to associate them in 2026. So we are looking at the 2027 horizon, which also coincides with what is currently ongoing with Switzerland.”
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training · EU-Switzerland relations · EU-UK relations
- “This will certainly lead to a lot of closer cooperation because under the Erasmus+ programme, it's not only a matter of mobility, it's also a matter of cooperation between educational institutions. So it will allow schools to work together. It will allow educational providers to jointly set up common projects. It will help a lot in designing curricula together. It will also facilitate the full involvement of the UK in the European university alliances. As you know, currently UK institutions can only be associated partners, which has and this was pointed out in the in the draft report implications on the level of involvement in the governance structure. So that again by associating Erasmus+, it will also facilitate the full participation of UK institutions in the European University Alliance, and it will obviously also be helpful in discussions on recognition of qualifications. So I think that's something that we have not only with UK but also with other countries further afield. You know that one of the key priorities under the Union of Skills is the attractiveness of skills of talents to the EU. So in this context, it's very important that we continue working on recognition of qualifications. I will not dwell on the issue of tariffs because I have no idea if. I mean, I'm sure this has been discussed, but I have not been involved in those discussions. Thank you.”
Funding for vocational training · EU-UK relations
- “Okay. Thank you. Chair. For the present questions, let me try to answer at least a few of them. And then of course, colleagues can complement. I think it's a very, very good question on looking at the links between the Youth Experience scheme and Erasmus+. We see them as fully complementary. So one does not exclude, the other one will actually help the other. So we are very happy that on the one hand, the UK agreed to engage in negotiations on the youth experience schemes, which will go a lot broader than only the activities covered by Erasmus+. It will include possibilities to work. It will include possibilities for volunteering, for operating and possibilities for studying. So there is a certain support that will come to the Youth experience scheme, but it is much broader in its scope. It will, of course, help the mobility under Erasmus+, where we see a lot of new opportunities. Not only I think you pointed towards this not only in the area of higher education, but also, for example, when it comes to vocational education and training. It is indeed true that EVP Manzato has put the union of skills forward as the main policy strategy for the years to come in terms of of building skills, in terms of, of reskilling and upskilling and also the circulation of skills. And that again, Erasmus+ is a key instrument and the fact that the UK will hopefully then join Erasmus+ will help in order to have also this skill circulation between the EU and the UK.”
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training · EU engagement with youth · EU-UK relations