Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Acknowledged
In its response to this Report, we ask the Government to provide an update on...
Recommendation
In its response to this Report, we ask the Government to provide an update on the progress made through the new Dialogues with the EU on professional qualifications and on business mobility, including ideally a shared UK-EU roadmap on establishing mutual recognition of professional qualifications for priority sectors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 99)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the importance of expanding cooperation and states it is actively engaging with the EU and working to facilitate mobility and remove trade barriers for professionals and artists. However, it does not provide a specific update on progress through the new Dialogues or commit to a shared UK-EU roadmap.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
As the Committee recognises, the Youth Experience Scheme will create new opportunities for young Brits to live and work overseas. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, lime limited and subject to a visa requirement. The exact parameters of the scheme are subject to ongoing negotiation, and we are aiming to conclude negotiations by the time of the next EU-UK Summit. The Government is pleased that most Members welcome the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. We have agreed terms with the EU that represent a fair balance between the UK’s contribution and the benefits the programme offers, which paved the way for UK participation in the programme. Following formal agreement from the Council of the EU on 30 March, the legal agreement has now been signed, finalising the UK’s association to Erasmus+ from 1 January 2027. Our manifesto commitment on the recognition of professional qualifications, and our efforts to improve business mobility, continue to be a priority. This is why we agreed to set up a dedicated dialogues with the EU in the Common Understanding. The Government intends to hold this dialogue in spring, ahead of the next UK-EU summit, and the UK Government welcomes ongoing, meaningful discussions to deliver mutual benefits for services trade. Dialogues will be a key forum to discuss mobility barriers faced by UK service providers in the EU and vice versa, and to discuss the UK’s proposals for optimising use of the recognition of professional qualification provisions in the TCA. Under the TCA, agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications are driven by regulators within individual sectors. The UK Government is supporting all UK regulators to ensure they have a clear understanding of the TCA process, including by publishing guidance on using the TCA, and are seeking to facilitate their engagement with European counterparts. We have been working closely with UK regulators in priority sectors, including architecture, and will seek to encourage the Commission to make progress in agreeing recognition arrangements at the upcoming dialogue. We’re also working with EU Member States to strengthen the bilateral recognition of professional qualifications and to improve business mobility, as evidenced by recent outcomes from the UK-Spain Trade and Investment Dialogue. The UK Government recognises the challenges faced by UK professionals and has recently published guidance for businesses and professionals on seeking recognition of their qualifications in EU member states.
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