Recommendations and conclusions 72 shown
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We received some fresh evidence relating to the wider economic and trade relationship. On the basis of this information we stand by key recommendations from our report on trade in goods, including that the Government should seek an agreement with the EU on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) rules, and that it should provide additional support for small businesses affected by the changes to trade arrangements. We also reiterate our view, expressed in our report on the UK-EU relationship in financial services, that the Government should seek to conclude the proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the EU on financial services cooperation as soon as possible. It is disappointing that little progress has been made so far. We retain a close interest in these themes and will be monitoring developments closely, particularly in light of the improved atmosphere for UK-EU relations following the agreement on the Windsor Framework.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Many of our recommendations focus on actions that we believe should be taken within the next few months, as part of a systematic effort at developing a more cooperative relationship following the agreement on the Windsor Framework. We also hope that this report will help to inform the forthcoming review of the TCA, due to take place in 2025, which will be a focus for the Committee. It will be important to identify policy areas where there is genuine mutual benefit in strengthened UK-EU cooperation and in expanding the scope of the TCA in order to avoid characterisation as cherry picking. We have acted in that spirit in the recommendations we have made in this report.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We deeply regret that the political relationship between the UK and the EU was characterised by tension and mistrust for the first two years after the TCA came into force. The state of relations during this period was highly unsatisfactory for one of the UK’s closest and most important external relationships.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We welcome the change in the mood around UK-EU relations since autumn 2022, and especially since the agreement on the Windsor Framework was concluded in February 2023. We urge the Government and the EU to seize the opportunities that these developments present to prioritise a systematic and lasting effort at developing a more cooperative relationship and rebuilding mutual trust. This should include concluding specific cooperation agreements as soon as possible where these had previously been blocked due to the dispute over the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, for example on UK association to Horizon Europe, electricity trading and financial services.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
The past two years have highlighted the importance of mutual trust to a cooperative relationship between the UK and the EU. As an essential step towards rebuilding trust, the Government must ensure that it seeks to maintain a regular dialogue with the EU institutions at all levels. At the core of this will be more regular use of the existing institutional framework established under the Withdrawal Agreement and the TCA.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
It is inevitable that policy developments in each of the UK and the EU will sometimes have implications for the other partner in the relationship. Where this is the case, it is imperative that the Government and the European Commission engage with one another through the relevant institutional forums from as early a stage as possible in the respective UK and EU policy processes, with the aim of addressing any potential issues before they escalate into significant disputes. Issues of this sort cannot be solved solely through contact with Member States.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
It is also important that parliamentary select committees are able to scrutinise the potential implications of policy developments in the UK and the EU for UK-EU relations. We thank the Government for reaching an agreement with this Committee, and with the European Scrutiny Committee in the House of Commons, to help facilitate this.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We regret that to date most of the committees and working groups established under the TCA have met infrequently and considered little substantive business. A considerable increase in both the intensity of activity within these institutional structures and the significance of the outcomes of this activity should be a key component of a wider reset of UK-EU relations if the aims of the TCA are to be achieved. Closer involvement of UK Ministers and EU Commissioners in the work of these groups, and in particular those covering critical areas of cooperation such as trade and energy, will be required to provide the impetus necessary for this.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
It is indicative of the inactivity of the institutions established under the TCA that the Partnership Council, the senior-level body that oversees implementation of the agreement, has met only twice in the almost two-and-a-half years since the TCA came into force, with the second of these meetings not taking place until March 2023. We recommend that this body should meet, at a bare minimum, twice per year. It should also meet at short notice wherever issues that require input from the UK Ministers and EU Commissioners responsible for UK-EU relations arise in other forums.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
In order for the institutions to work efficiently and effectively it is important both that Ministers and Commissioners provide the necessary political momentum and that officials are encouraged to prepare the detailed decisions to be taken by the Joint Committee and the Partnership Council. Neither condition has so far been fully met.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
The current double-headed system of committees and working groups may not prove to be the most efficient or effective system for managing the UK-EU relationship in the longer-term, given its complexity and that it does not cover important policy areas in which cooperation may develop in the future. We recommend that, when the TCA is reviewed in 2025, consideration should be given to moving towards a single structure of committees covering all major areas of cooperation.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We consider it important that the UK’s devolved administrations are able to contribute effectively to the institutional structures for UK-EU relations. To help facilitate this, we recommend that relevant Interministerial Groups should be convened routinely in advance of meetings of the UK-EU institutions, to enable the devolved governments to feed in their views. We also recommend that Ministers and officials from the devolved administrations should continue to be invited to participate as members of the UK delegation at meetings of the institutions where matters within devolved competence are on the agenda.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that regular UK-EU summits should be held as a focus for political and diplomatic engagement, including at the level of the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the Commission and the European Council. Such summits would also facilitate engagement between Cabinet ministers and European Commissioners with equivalent responsibilities. We urge the Government to approach the EU without further delay with a proposal to host an inaugural summit in the UK before the end of 2023.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome that two productive meetings of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly have now taken place. We anticipate that this institution will play an important role in wider efforts to rebuild the relationship between the UK and the EU as it continues to develop over the next few years. The practice of inviting members of the devolved legislatures to meetings of the PPA, and facilitating opportunities for them to contribute, should be continued.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
While we welcome that the civil society institutions established under the TCA are now operational, we note the concerns that have been expressed to us about the current arrangements for participation of UK civil society organisations, including the absence of funding to support attendance at meetings. We ask the Government to discuss this matter with UK civil society representatives as a priority ahead of the second meeting of the Civil Society Forum, with the aim of ensuring that UK representatives are able to participate on an equivalent basis to their EU counterparts.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the then Prime Minister’s decision to attend the inaugural EPC summit in Prague. This was a strong symbol of a renewed intention for the UK to engage positively with European partners, including EU Member States, other non-members of the EU and the EU institutions, on matters of common interest. The outcomes from the first summit have already demonstrated that the EPC can be a productive forum for securing progress on important issues.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We believe that the UK should play as full a part as possible in the EPC and therefore welcome the fact that it will be hosting the fourth summit, in 2024. We look forward to this event, which should be an excellent opportunity for the Government to drive pan-European cooperation on issues of particular interest to the UK and to demonstrate a constructive approach to the UK’s relations with wider European partners.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We nevertheless stress that participation in the EPC cannot in itself be a substitute for enhanced bilateral engagement with the EU through the institutions established under the Withdrawal Agreement and the TCA, or for dedicated UK-EU summits.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We agree with several of our witnesses that it would be desirable for the EPC to remain a relatively informal, intergovernmental body. If it were to become more heavily institutionalised, it is likely that it would be more difficult to maintain the support of such a wide group of participants, which is a key advantage of the current format.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
The EPC should work cooperatively with the Council of Europe so they remain complementary. The Government should also examine ways of giving greater priority to the work of the Council of Europe.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Every Government department, as well as the devolved administrations, has an interest in the UK’s relationship with the EU. In order to successfully manage the continually evolving relationship with the EU in a way that promotes and protects the UK’s interests, we consider that there needs to be a strong coordinating machinery in Whitehall and with UKMis to ensure coherence in the UK’s approach. We were therefore concerned to hear that internal coordination arrangements may not be working as effectively as they could be. Our own experience of engagement with the Government has borne this out.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We would emphasise that many developments in the EU continue to have important implications for the UK. Given this, it is essential that the UK, through the machinery in Whitehall and UKMis, makes representations at an early stage of the EU’s complex policy process in a coordinated and effective manner. The machinery of government must be set up in a way that facilitates this.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
During the UK’s membership the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (now the FCDO) had lead responsibility for handling relations with the EU, while there was also a strong inter-departmental coordinating machinery in the Cabinet Office. We believe that the same combination is needed to handle post-Brexit relations with the EU.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We consider that the importance of effective arrangements for inter-departmental coordination, and for coordination between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, on EU-related matters will only become greater if the intensity of engagement between the UK and the EU increases over the coming years, in line with the recommendations elsewhere in this chapter.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We ask the Government to set out in its response to this report how the system of coordination on EU policy currently works, and in particular (i) how UKMis is involved, (ii) the relationship between the FCDO and the Cabinet Office, (iii) how other departments in Whitehall are involved and (iv) how the Government engages with the devolved administrations, specifically on EU-related policy, and what part the Interministerial Groups play in this. We hope the Government will be able to report how improved and strengthened inter-departmental coordination is leading to more effective outcomes.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Overall, cooperation between the UK and the EU has been close and productive in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This cooperation will need to continue and be developed further, including in the context of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, during which the UK and the EU will both have important roles to play.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the effective cooperation between the UK and EU in the imposition of sanctions against Russia. The overall sanctions regime must, however, be more robust. We believe, in particular, that closer cooperation between Western partners, including the UK and the EU, is needed on the implementation and enforcement of sanctions and the evaluation of their success or failure. We therefore welcome the announcement of a new G7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
Complementary to the Enforcement Coordination Mechanism, we recommend that the UK and the EU should agree a Memorandum of Understanding around information sharing and cooperation on imposition, implementation and enforcement of sanctions as soon as possible, similar to the enhanced sanctions partnership agreement reached between the Government and the US Treasury. This need not be an elaborate mechanism but we believe that it would be beneficial to have some formal arrangements in place, which would help to ensure that momentum is maintained beyond the current phase of the war.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
A careful calibration of international cooperation on sanctions policy, including a system for monitoring enforcement, would provide added value in relation to other current and future threats where sanctions can be a deterrent. We can be sure that the objects of UK and EU sanctions will be working hard to diminish their impact and only the closest cooperation over implementation will ensure their effectiveness.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the fact that the Government recognised the importance of the European Union in its Integrated Review Refresh 2023. We will closely monitor how these ambitions are translated into policies.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We welcome the Government’s decision to join PESCO’s Military Mobility project, which represents a change from its previous position on PESCO and is an example of a more pragmatic approach towards cooperation with the EU. We agree with the Minister for Europe that the Government should continue to consider seeking third-country participation in other PESCO projects on a case-by-case basis, where this is in the UK’s interests.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We believe that it is important for the UK be actively involved in what one of our witnesses called a “European defence industrial ecosystem” and to ensure that UK interests are protected. The Government should therefore closely monitor the development of the European Defence Fund. We ask the Government to provide its current assessment of the implications of the EDF for the UK in its response to this report.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We call on the Government to seek to put in place an administrative agreement with the European Defence Agency, similar to those agreed with other third countries, including the US, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and Ukraine.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the 2023 EU-NATO Joint Declaration and agree with its assessment that the European Union can play a complementary role in a NATO-led European security environment. In its response to this report we ask the Government to set out how it envisages giving practical effect to the statement, in paragraph 13 of the Joint Declaration, that “we encourage the fullest possible involvement of the NATO Allies that are not members of the EU in its initiatives”.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Events since the TCA came into force—in particular Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the response to it, but also China’s increasingly assertive actions—have served to underline the mutual benefits to be gained from close and continuing working arrangements between the UK, the EU and EU Member States on foreign and security policy issues. We hope that the agreement on the Windsor Framework will allow both the UK and the EU to explore in the spirit of cooperation how to deepen and improve working relations in these areas.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We acknowledge that a great deal can be achieved through regular diplomatic engagement between the UK and the EU, outside any formal structures. Nevertheless, there would be considerable mutual benefit to this engagement being complemented by some structured arrangements for ongoing interaction and cooperation, for example in response to new and emerging threats.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government should approach the EU without further delay with the aim of establishing appropriate structured cooperation arrangements, as foreseen in the UK-EU Political Declaration of October 2019. These arrangements should be designed to respect the independent rights of both Parties to make decisions in these areas autonomously.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that within any structured cooperation arrangements with the EU the Government should seek to agree arrangements that would enable the UK Foreign Secretary to engage with the EU Foreign Affairs Council at least twice per year. Provisions for Government ministers to be able to participate as a regular guest in other high-level discussions with their EU counterparts, for instance Gymnich meetings, should also be explored with the EU.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government should continue to invest resources into its bilateral relationships with individual Member States, including on matters relating to foreign policy and security. Strong bilateral relationships can complement closer partnership with the EU institutions, as evidenced by the UK-France Lancaster House Treaties, and the UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue. The Government should seek to work towards a similar bilateral structure with the EU.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the close technical cooperation between the UK and the EU in response to the energy security challenges in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that to date energy trading between the UK and the EU has continued without disruption.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
However, we regret that the TCA’s Specialised Committee on Energy met only twice in 2022, despite the unprecedented crisis. Following the agreement on the Windsor Framework, we expect that this forum will now be more active.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the close technical cooperation on energy security between the UK and the EU should also be extended to the political level, including through regular meetings at the level of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and the European Commissioner for Energy.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We call on the Government to approach the EU, without further delay, with the aim of reaching an agreement to guarantee that energy flows between the UK and the EU would be maintained in the event of a critical shortage of energy supply.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the UK and the EU should cooperate closely on the installation of additional multipurpose interconnectors of substantial capacity, which will be needed to support energy security in the future. We ask the Government to update us on the extent of such cooperation in its response to this report.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We urge the UK and the EU to conclude an agreement to deliver on the provisions in the TCA relating to energy trading without further delay, now that the agreement on the Windsor Framework has been reached. We ask the Government to provide us with an update on this in response to this report.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the North Seas Energy Cooperation, so far as it goes. Engagement between the UK and other North Seas countries on the development of renewable energy infrastructure in the North Seas, including Multipurpose Interconnectors, is essential in light of the ambition of respective decarbonisation targets.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government keep under review whether the MoU provides for sufficiently close cooperation with the NSEC or whether there would be benefits to seeking a further agreement, providing for full membership. We also ask the Government to explain the rationale for not seeking full membership in its response to this report.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We note that the energy provisions under Title VIII of the TCA expire in June 2026 and recommend that the Government seeks to reach an agreement with the EU to extend these, as part of the TCA review in 2025, to ensure that cooperation can continue and expand.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the UK approach the EU to explore the feasibility of linking their respective Emissions Trading Schemes. We note that the evidence we received on the implications of a shared scheme for UK sovereignty in this area was mixed, but we believe that following the Swiss precedent, such a policy could be implemented without negatively effecting the UK’s autonomy to design its own trading scheme. The evidence we received indicated that there would be significant mutual benefits to be gained from such an arrangement.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We understand that aspects of these negotiations may prove to be complex but the Government should enter discussions in a “can-do” spirit. Since the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes are currently similar in design and scope, it is likely that a link would be easier to achieve sooner rather than later, given the possibility of greater divergence over time.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
The EU’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a clear example of how EU policy developments can have important implications for the UK, and of the need for the Government to engage early with the EU policy process to promote and protect the UK’s interests. There could be serious risks in terms of trade diversion and damage to mutual UK-EU trade if their respective CBAMs on third country trade were to diverge substantially.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We consider that the potential implications of the EU CBAM for the UK, including for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, further strengthens the argument for linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
In response to this report we ask the Government to update us on what discussions have taken place with the EU about CBAMs so far, including where in the existing TCA structure the subject of CBAMs has been discussed.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
The end of free movement of people between the UK and the EU has inevitably resulted in new barriers to business and professional mobility, in both directions. The precise impact has varied greatly between sectors. We urge the Government to continue to monitor the implications of the domestic migration rules introduced following Brexit and the provisions of the TCA for mobility between the UK and the EU. The Government should be prepared to adjust visa eligibility criteria in response to labour shortages in specific sectors and we ask the Government to describe how it is managing this in its response to this report. The Government must also raise concerns about outward mobility arrangements with the EU and individual Member States. We ask the Government where, within the TCA institutional structure, this is being addressed.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
The evidence that we have considered suggests that the complexity of the post-Brexit rules is a significant barrier to mobility. We accordingly recommend that the Government strengthens its guidance on business and professional travel between the UK and EU Member States, making it more straightforward to navigate and interpret, including for small businesses and independent professionals. We believe that the guidance needs to be dynamically updated.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We are disappointed that very little progress has been made in addressing the challenges faced by creative professionals wishing to work and tour in the EU, despite the Government having been aware of these problems for a considerable period of time. We recommend that these issues are now taken up with the EU as a priority by FCDO ministers. In its response we ask the Government to detail which TCA Specialised Committee is considering these issues. This matter should also be raised with the Commission at the Partnership Council and we ask the Government to request that they be included on the agenda for the next meeting.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Negotiations with the EU and individual Member States to address the barriers to mobility of creative professionals that have been identified should be continued with vigour. We ask the Government to provide an update on engagement with the EU and individual Member States on this matter in its response to this report.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Many of the barriers to business and professional mobility highlighted by witnesses may be partially addressed through a reciprocal youth mobility arrangement with the EU and/or individual Member States. This possibility is discussed in the final section of this chapter.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We consider school visits between the UK and the EU to have substantial value as a means of exposing children to different cultures. We agree with our witnesses that the large decline in inbound school visitors to the UK from the EU will have a considerable long-term cultural impact, as well as having a significant economic impact.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the references to reciprocal steps to facilitate school visits in the Joint Leaders’ Declaration issued following the Anglo-French summit on 10 March 2023. We ask the Government to provide more detail about the proposed “changes to documentary requirements” for inbound school visitors from France in its response to this report, and to provide us with an update on progress towards implementation of this commitment.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government should reintroduce a youth group travel scheme that would not require pupils travelling on school visits from any EU country to carry individual passports. This scheme should be designed with appropriate safeguards to ensure that any risks to border security are minimised.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We additionally recommend that the Government, through its embassies in EU Member States, should initiate a campaign to actively promote educational group travel to the UK, with the aim of reversing the decline in visitor numbers.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We also urge the Government to explore the possibility of including reciprocal funding for school group mobility within the Turing scheme, which would provide additional support for visits to the UK. Such arrangements could draw on the experience of the Taith programme that has been introduced by the Welsh Government.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
The substantial reduction in the number of EU students enrolling at UK universities is an inevitable consequence of these students no longer being eligible to pay home fees and of the introduction of other additional barriers to studying in the UK, such as the need to secure a visa.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We agree with our witnesses that EU students bring considerable benefits to UK universities, widening the diversity of the student population and facilitating cultural exchange. We therefore recommend that the Government should work to ensure that barriers to enrolment such as challenges in obtaining visas are minimised.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the fact that the Turing scheme has supported a substantial number of outward mobility experiences since its launch. The scheme has significant strengths, including its flexibility in terms of the types of mobility that are supported and its focus on widening participation.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Nevertheless, we regret that the Government did not explore the possibility of a reciprocal student exchange programme that would enable the benefits that visiting students from the EU bring to English universities—including the long-term cultural impact—to be maintained. The Taith scheme introduced by the Welsh Government is a good model for how a reciprocal student exchange scheme can operate post-Brexit.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
Accordingly, we recommend that the Government should now explore with the higher education sector the possibility of adding a reciprocal element to the Turing scheme, drawing on the experience of Taith. Within these discussions, the Government should also consider whether there is scope for domestic student exchange schemes such as Turing and Taith to run alongside any resumed participation in aspects of Erasmus+, which would need to be negotiated with the EU.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We reiterate our view that UK association to Horizon Europe and other EU research programmes would be a win-win for the UK and the EU. Now that agreement has been reached on the Windsor Framework, the necessary steps to complete UK association should be concluded as soon as possible.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
Post-Brexit changes to arrangements for mobility between the UK and the EU have had a particularly significant impact on younger people. We therefore recommend that the Government should approach the EU about the possibility of entering negotiations around an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership. In common with existing youth mobility arrangements that the UK and individual EU Member States have agreed with other jurisdictions, this would allow young people to apply for fixed-term visas to travel and work in the other partner on preferential terms.
Conclusion · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Concluded (the committee's words)
Now that the UK has left the EU, questions about the exercise of EU competence are no longer our immediate concern. Nevertheless, the simplicity of agreeing with the Commission a single youth mobility arrangement that applies across the EU (rather than 27 separate arrangements) is attractive to us. We therefore recommend that as a first step the Government explores this possibility with the EU.
Recommendation · 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that any such scheme should ideally be reciprocal, that numbers should be capped and that participants should have no automatic permanent residence rights in the country that they visit. We anticipate that the establishment of a UK-EU youth mobility partnership along these lines would have little impact on wider levels of immigration.