UK-EU youth mobility scheme could finally be on the table after discussions

A mobility scheme which would allow UK and EU youths to live and work in each other’s countries may finally be on the table, after being blocked for over a year.

Proposals for such a scheme were first tabled in April 2024 but, despite growing international interest, the plans were blocked in Westminster by both the Labour and Conservative parties.  

Now, both the UK Government and their EU counterparts look open to reassessing the plans, which will come as welcome news to young people across the continent.  

The proposed UK–EU scheme has been a long-standing priority for Brussels, particularly in the wake of Brexit. It forms part of broader negotiations aimed at forging a new strategic pact between the UK and the EU that would also cover co-operation on defence, energy, and migration. 

Several major EU member states […] have expressed strong support for the proposals

As part of these talks, EU leaders are reportedly willing to offer substantial concessions to secure reciprocal access for young UK nationals – an offer seen by some diplomats as a potential breakthrough in repairing strained post-Brexit relations. 

Several major EU member states, including France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy have expressed strong support for the proposals. 

The German Ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said he is “pretty optimistic” that an agreement can be reached. 

The UK Government, meanwhile, has floated a ‘one in, one out’ model – backed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper – as a compromise to limit the scale of migration while maintaining openness for youth exchange. 

The scheme would allow for an equal number of EU youths to come to the UK as UK youths heading to the continent, minimising the need for a 12-month time limit on any such scheme.  

Cooper, who had been seen as one of the last opponents of a UK–EU deal within the Government, had previously called for a one-year cap on youth mobility over fears that it would increase levels of migration into the UK.  

The UK already operates a similar scheme with twelve non-EU countries. According to Home Office data, 23,000 people entered the UK through this programme in 2023, with nearly 10,000 arriving from Australia alone. 

In an effort to avoid reigniting tensions over freedom of movement, EU officials say the scheme will be rebranded as the ‘Youth Experience’ programme. The new name is designed to distance the plan from past immigration debates and avoid the perception that it amounts to a return to pre-Brexit arrangements.

There won’t be any return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement

Steve Reed, Environment Secretary

The proposal has found some unlikely allies in Westminster. Former minister and prominent Brexit supporter Steve Baker described the scheme as a “good thing” that “absolutely would not amount to a return to EU free movement”. His support has helped temper Eurosceptic opposition among Tories. 

Environment Secretary Steve Reed echoed that stance, telling Times Radio that the government would not “breach” its manifesto commitments. He said: “We’re very clear in our manifesto that there won’t be any return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement, and that remains our position.”