Key Takeaways
- The UK is aiming to secure an agreement to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus student mobility programme by January, with negotiations ongoing to finalize a deal.
- The UK’s participation in Erasmus would allow students to study abroad in Europe, and the programme has been a key demand from EU capitals as part of "reset" talks.
- The UK’s Labour government is seeking to improve relations with the EU after a setback on defence talks, and a quick breakthrough on Erasmus would help signal progress.
- The UK is also pursuing talks on food standards, carbon emissions, and youth mobility, with agreements expected to be reached quickly.
- The EU and UK are seeking a closer relationship, with the EU ambassador to the UK stating that stronger relations will bring a stronger Europe.
Introduction to the UK’s Pursuit of Closer EU Relations
The UK is hoping to secure an agreement within weeks to rejoin the EU’s flagship student mobility programme, Erasmus, as part of a drive to pursue closer relations with Brussels. Negotiators are aiming to finalize a deal by January that would allow the UK to participate in Erasmus from 2027 onwards. The UK quit Erasmus after Brexit, when Boris Johnson claimed the programme did not offer good value for money. However, the Labour government has agreed to reopen negotiations, and has been seeking to bring down the cost of UK participation.
The Significance of Erasmus in UK-EU Relations
The UK rejoining the £23bn Erasmus scheme has been a key demand from EU capitals as part of "reset" talks, alongside a mobility deal that would grant young Europeans the right to live and work in the UK for several years and Britons to do the same in Europe. A quick breakthrough on Erasmus would help ministers signal that they are making progress in their drive to improve relations with the EU after a setback last week, when talks over defence broke down. The negotiations, which were seeking to allow UK companies to play a greater part in the EU’s €150bn (£130bn) defence loans scheme, collapsed after a dispute over money.
The UK’s Economic Interest in Closer EU Relations
Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has stated that "we do need to get closer" to the EU, citing that the Brexit deal has hurt the UK economy. He emphasized that there is no credible economic future for Britain that does not involve open trade, and that reducing frictions and moving towards a closer relationship with the EU is necessary for economic renewal. Starmer also acknowledged that this will require trade-offs, demonstrating a willingness to compromise in order to achieve a closer relationship with the EU.
EU Perspective on Closer UK Relations
Pedro Serrano, the EU ambassador to the UK, has stated that the EU is also seeking a closer relationship with the UK, citing that this is what European citizens expect. He emphasized that Europe’s prosperity, security, and democracy are closely interlinked, and that stronger relations between the EU and the UK will bring a stronger Europe. This statement reflects the EU’s desire to strengthen ties with the UK, and demonstrates a shared interest in pursuing closer relations.
Ongoing Negotiations and Potential Obstacles
UK officials say talks over a food standards deal, a joint carbon emissions scheme, and the youth mobility scheme have been slow to get going, in part because it took longer than expected for the EU to agree its mandate for negotiations. Talks on food standards and carbon emissions began in mid-November, six months later than planned, with Starmer’s foreign policy adviser, Michael Ellam, leading from the UK side. Talks on youth mobility began in September. One potential obstacle in the food standards talks will be whether France demands that the Labour government drops its promise to ban the commercial import of foie gras.
Potential Areas of Agreement and Disagreement
Another potential area of disagreement will be whether British negotiators can persuade their European counterparts to take a more lenient approach to genetically modified crops, which are regulated more strictly in the EU than in the UK. The UK side also wants an exemption from EU rules on mycotoxins, a naturally occurring mould, which occur naturally in British oatcakes due to the country’s damp climate. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister leading negotiations with Brussels, has spoken to his EU counterpart, Maroš Šefčovič, and is due to meet him in Brussels on 10 December. A government spokesperson has stated that good progress has been made since the UK-EU reset summit, including starting negotiations on a food and drink deal to slash red tape for businesses and bring down prices.
