Great Britain returns to the Erasmus+ program from 2027. Agreement with the EU, seven years after Brexit
Student campus. Photo: Edwin Remsberg / VWPics / Profimedia
Britain and the European Union agreed on Wednesday to allow British students to return to Europe's popular Erasmus+ exchange program from 2027, a modest but symbolic gesture that signals improved relations after Brexit.
The UK's contribution for the 2027-2028 academic year will be 570 million pounds ($760 million), the British government announced, adding that the deal includes a 30 percent reduction from standard terms under the current trade deal with the EU.
The two sides also agreed to start negotiations on the integration of electricity markets and set next year as a deadline for finalizing a food and beverage trade agreement as well as connecting carbon markets, the statement said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed a “new era” in the relationship with the European Union in May after the two sides agreed on the most significant reset of defense and trade ties since Britain's exit from the bloc in 2020.
“Today's agreements demonstrate that our new partnership with the EU is working,” said Minister for Relations with the European Union Nick Thomas-Symonds, who described the return to the Erasmus+ program as “a major victory for our young people”.
The United Kingdom's accession to Erasmus+, a key requirement of the European Union to strengthen relations between the two parties
More than 100,000 young people in the United Kingdom could benefit from this program in the first year, the British government announced.
Starmer has sought to take a different approach to the often strained relationship between previous Conservative governments and the European Union since the Brexit negotiations.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the agreement will pave the way for new shared experiences for young people and represents a new step in the renewed partnership with Great Britain.
“Together, we are committed to continuing to deliver on our joint agenda until the next EU-UK Summit,” von der Leyen wrote in a post on X. The next summit is expected next year.
The return of the United Kingdom to the Erasmus+ program, which allows hundreds of thousands of EU students to study for up to a year in another EU country, has long been one of the main requests of the European Union to strengthen relations between the two sides.
Britain previously left the program after Brexit, and the Tories argued that the government had caved to the EU without getting anything in return for the money it paid.
In contrast, the pressure organization European Movement UK welcomed the agreement, describing it as “a concrete example of the thawing of relations”, a reaction shared by the academic community.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of the advocacy group Universities UK, said the deal was “a huge step forward in our relationship with the European Union and will provide life-changing opportunities for thousands of students”.
