EU proposes return to pre-Brexit youth mobility with UK

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The European Commission on Thursday proposed opening negotiations with the UK to allow mobility enjoyed before Brexit to millions of young people.

In a statement, the commission said it has proposed to the European Council to open negotiations with the UK on an agreement to facilitate youth mobility which "would make it easier for young EU and UK citizens to study, work and live in the UK and the EU respectively."

Citing that Brexit has resulted in decreased mobility between the bloc and the UK, the commission noted that this situation has particularly affected the opportunities for young people to experience life and to benefit from youth, cultural, educational, research and training exchanges.

"The proposal seeks to address in an innovative way the main barriers to mobility for young people experienced today and create a right for young people to travel from the EU to the UK and vice-versa more easily and for a longer period of time," it added.

According to the commission, the proposal sets out the conditions that would have to be met to enable young people to move without being tied to a purpose or quota-bound.

"For instance, under the envisaged agreement, both EU and UK citizens aged between 18 to 30 years would be able to stay for up to 4 years in the destination country," said the statement.

If the council agrees following the discussion, the commission would be empowered to launch negotiations with the UK on youth mobility.

Since the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, mobility between the EU and UK is governed by the respective domestic (immigration) rules of the EU and its member states and the UK, which has resulted in decreased numbers of people exercising mobility between the EU and the UK.

In the 2016 Brexit referendum, a majority voted in favor of the withdrawal of the country from the EU.

After the Brexit agreement was signed by representatives of Britain and the EU on Jan. 24, 2020, the UK officially withdrew from the bloc on Jan. 31 that year.