The European Union (EU) has proposed a new freedom-of-movement-style deal to a future Labour government in an attempt to woo it to make closer ties to the bloc.
If approved, the new scheme would see those aged 18 to 30, the majority of which voted against Brexit, allowed to go to EU member states for up to four years to work, travel and study.
In reciprocation, Europeans in the same age group would be able to come to the UK potentially plugging gaps in the British workforce for waiters, baristas and au pairs.
Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government has already approached a number of EU member states in an attempt to win more youth mobility schemes.
The European Commission is making the offer of an EU-wide deal because the UK had spoken with a number of states to discuss youth mobility.
If a deal is reached, it would be Brussels’ first youth mobility treaty with a third country.
Under the bloc’s offer, Britain would have to agree to equal treatment on tuition and visa fees, and healthcare surcharges.
Sir Keir Starmer has already indicated his government would seek closer ties with the EU if his party wins the election.
Announcing the proposal on Tuesday, Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, said: “The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union has hit young people in the EU and the UK who would like to study, work and live abroad particularly hard.
“Today, we take the first step towards an ambitious but realistic agreement between the EU and the UK that would fix this issue. Our aim is to rebuild human bridges between young Europeans on both sides of the Channel.”
The UK already has reciprocal schemes with 10 non-EU countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Iceland.
These agreements allow those eligible to travel and work in Britain without needing a sponsor or meeting other requirements, such as salary thresholds, without significantly contributing to net migration.
The EU makes it clear that the scheme would not replace existing paths to obtaining visas and either side would have the ability to reject applications because of threats to public security and health.
However, negotiations could still take some time with the EU’s 27 member states still required to agree on the commission’s proposal.
European Parliament elections and the general election are also likely to act as stumbling blocks to talks beginning.
Industry bosses and campaigners have been pushing for an EU-wide visa scheme to make it easier for young Britons to travel and work in the bloc and vice-versa for some time.
Naomi Smith, the chief executive of Best for Britain, told the Telegraph: “The UK Government must now respond in kind.
“Until a reciprocal EU-UK youth mobility scheme is formalised, our young people will continue to be robbed of the irreplaceable formative experiences their parents and older siblings enjoyed, because of a failed Brexit project they did not vote for.”
