On Tuesday 5th December at 5pm, the Young European Movement, in partnership with European Movement UK and the British Youth Council, hosted a Roundtable Discussion in the Portcullis House, Westminster to discuss the future relationship between the UK and the EU in the areas of student exchange, education, training and youth work.
This roundtable was convened to coincide with the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, with the intention of placing youth issues at the foreground of the agenda, including giving consideration to the UK’s future membership of Erasmus+ Programme.
The discussion was chaired by Klajdi Selimi, President of the Young European Movement and the panel was enriched by the knowledge and experiences of esteemed speakers- Nathalie Loiseau MEP – Chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and former Minister for Europe under President Emmaneul Macron; Alyn Smith MP – SNP Spokesperson on Europe in the House of Commons, and former Member of the European Parliament; Colm Markey MEP and Maurizio Cuttin – UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum and Advisor to the rapporteur of the European Economic & Social Committee’s EU-UK Follow-up Committee.
During an hour of intensive discussion, the four speakers deplored the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Erasmus+ programme regretting the loss of opportunities for young students, workers and social workers, and advocated for the return of the UK in the Erasmus+ program, touching on the inadequacy of the alternative – the Turing scheme.
For Alyn Smith, “Turing is not reciprocal, it’s not socially progressive; it’s smaller and it’s a cruel deception”. Furthermore, he thinks that Turing is set up to fail because of its disaster budget.
They also insisted that the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus programme is a promise not kept by the UK government. “The British government never intended to leave Erasmus, he promised he wouldn’t but he did for no reason. But there is every single reason to go back, to rejoin” claimed Maurizio Cuttin. Speakers insisted on the fact that Erasmus is not a remain or leave issue.
As for Nathalie Loiseau, she believes that the future and the present of young people have been stolen. However, she is optimistic and considers that the door of the European Union remains open.
Klajdi Selimi closed the discussion by talking about Embrace Erasmus – a campaign led by YEM UK in partnership with other organisations, which strives to bring Erasmus back into the UK.
He called on the attendees to sign the petition, launched in collaboration with European Movement UK and the British Youth Council, and take the first step towards a more empowered future with a promise of endless possibilities – towards Embracing Erasmus.
Sign the petition and join over 26000 signatories – including the likes of Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London), Vince Cable (former Liberal Democrat Leader), Caroline Lucas MP (Former Green Party Leader), Alyn Smith MP, Layla Moran MP and Liz Saville Roberts MP
This roundtable was convened to coincide with the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, with the intention of placing youth issues at the foreground of the agenda, including giving consideration to the UK’s future membership of Erasmus+ Programme.
The discussion was chaired by Klajdi Selimi, President of the Young European Movement and the panel was enriched by the knowledge and experiences of esteemed speakers- Nathalie Loiseau MEP – Chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and former Minister for Europe under President Emmaneul Macron; Alyn Smith MP – SNP Spokesperson on Europe in the House of Commons, and former Member of the European Parliament; Colm Markey MEP and Maurizio Cuttin – UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum and Advisor to the rapporteur of the European Economic & Social Committee’s EU-UK Follow-up Committee.
During an hour of intensive discussion, the four speakers deplored the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Erasmus+ programme regretting the loss of opportunities for young students, workers and social workers, and advocated for the return of the UK in the Erasmus+ program, touching on the inadequacy of the alternative – the Turing scheme.
For Alyn Smith, “Turing is not reciprocal, it’s not socially progressive; it’s smaller and it’s a cruel deception”. Furthermore, he thinks that Turing is set up to fail because of its disaster budget.
They also insisted that the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus programme is a promise not kept by the UK government. “The British government never intended to leave Erasmus, he promised he wouldn’t but he did for no reason. But there is every single reason to go back, to rejoin” claimed Maurizio Cuttin. Speakers insisted on the fact that Erasmus is not a remain or leave issue.
As for Nathalie Loiseau, she believes that the future and the present of young people have been stolen. However, she is optimistic and considers that the door of the European Union remains open.
Klajdi Selimi closed the discussion by talking about Embrace Erasmus – a campaign led by YEM UK in partnership with other organisations, which strives to bring Erasmus back into the UK.
He called on the attendees to sign the petition, launched in collaboration with European Movement UK and the British Youth Council, and take the first step towards a more empowered future with a promise of endless possibilities – towards Embracing Erasmus.
Sign the petition and join over 26000 signatories – including the likes of Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London), Vince Cable (former Liberal Democrat Leader), Caroline Lucas MP (Former Green Party Leader), Alyn Smith MP, Layla Moran MP and Liz Saville Roberts MP