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EU youth mobility scheme is 'no-brainer', German ambassador to UK tells LBC
26 April 2025, 13:56 | Updated: 27 April 2025, 11:51
The German ambassador to the UK has told LBC that the proposed EU youth mobility scheme is a "no-brainer".
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Miguel Berger, Berlin's top diplomat in London, told LBC's Matt Frei that arguments against such a scheme were "not convincing".
The scheme would allow British and EU citizens aged 18-30 in the UK and EU to live, study work and study in each other’s countries.
The Government has faced pressure from backbench MPs to agree to the scheme as part of its "reset" in UK-EU relations.
Ministers have previously said they have "no plans" for such a scheme, but more recently appear to have softened their stance on youth visas.
Mr Berger said: "We are speaking here about young peoplem 18-30 years old, and they are the ones who have lost most by Brexit and we want them to have the possibility... to live, to study, to experience living in another country and create the bonds which will then be very valuable for the rest of their life.
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"So in my view it is a non brainer and I think the arguments against it are not really convincing because... it's based on a visa scheme, so it's no freedom of movement, it is not migration because people would stay, have the experience and then go back home."
He pointed out that the UK has similar mobility schemes with several other countries like Canada and Australia.
Rachel Reeves told LBC earlier this week that discussions on youth mobility "are ongoing on the moment".
And on Friday, a Number 10 spokesman said he would not "get into the detail of the discussion that is taking place" on the scheme.
He said: "Both sides are discussing a wide range of issues, which is entirely normal for any negotiation.
"I don't think we could have been clearer that this is not about returning to the EU, but we will not be defined by the debates and arguments of the past."
Questions about a youth mobility scheme come as The Times reported the Home Office was considering a "one in, one out" arrangement to ensure a cap on the number of visas.
Similar youth mobility schemes between the UK and countries including Australia and Canada place a limit on the number of visas that can be issued and restrict those visas to two years.
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Earlier, Environment Secretary Steve Reed dismissed The Times's report as "speculation".
Labour's 2024 general election manifesto said there would be "no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement".
Ministers have so far resisted calls for a youth mobility scheme, but it is thought that it is something the EU is looking for as Number 10 pursues a "reset" in relations after Brexit.
Earlier this week, more than 60 Labour backbenchers urged the Government to negotiate a youth mobility scheme as part of the desired reset with the bloc.
In a letter to Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister in charge of negotiations with the EU, 62 MPs and 11 peers called for "a new and bespoke youth visa scheme" for UK and European citizens under 30.
In their letter, the MPs and peers said any youth mobility scheme should be in line with the UK's existing arrangements with countries such as Australia and Canada, with a time limit on visas and a cap on numbers.
They said: "A bespoke scheme would extend new cultural, educational and economic opportunities to young people in the UK without returning to free movement."
The group also called for deeper collaboration with the EU on defence and a deal on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures to reduce border checks on food products, both of which are in line with Government policy, among other suggestions.
