British students will no longer be able to study or work abroad in Europe under the Erasmus exchange programme, it has been announced.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier confirmed Britain will no longer take part in the long-standing scheme, as part of the UK and EU’s agreed Brexit deal. The move also means students from other European countries will no longer be able to easily work or study in the UK as part of their education.
Mr Barnier told a press briefing after the agreement was announced that he had two ‘regrets’ over the social co-operation going forward between the UK and EU.
He said: ‘Firstly, the British Government decided not to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme.
‘Secondly, the level of ambition in terms of mobility assistance is not in line with our historical ties, but that again is a choice of the British Government.’
Boris Johnson later told a press briefing it was a ‘tough decision’ to pull out of the programme and announced a new travel scheme will be implemented for British students.
The prime minister said: ‘The issue really was that, as you know, the UK is a massive net contributor to the consonant’s higher education economy because over the last decades we’ve had so many EU nationals, which has been a wonderful thing.
‘But our arrangements basically mean financially the UK exchequer more or less loses out on the deal. Erasmus was also extremely expensive.
‘So what we’re doing is producing a UK scheme for students to go around the world.
‘It will be called the Turing Scheme, named after Alan Turing, so students will have the opportunity not just to go to European universities but the best universities in the world because we want our young people to experience the immense intellectual experience of Europe but also of the whole world.’
The Erasmus exchange programme, which was established in 1987, gives students in Europe the opportunity to study or work abroad in another European country.
The programme is worth about £243 million a year to the UK, with British business and education leaders previously warning that the loss of it would ‘blow a hole’ in the economy, reported The Guardian.
About 17,000 British students take part in it annually and has long been recognised as a great opportunity to hone language, business, educational and social skills.
Fears have previously been raised that students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, would struggle to fund travel and expenses without the grant that is provided to those who sign up to the scheme.
At least 4,000 institutions across Europe are signed up to the exchange.
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