UK edges closer to youth visa deal with the EU

Britain is heading towards creating a visa plan for youth after Britain’s exit from the European Union with the European Union, where UK ministers are racing to contain a possible political reaction to such a deal before a decisive summit next month.

Brussels insists on launching negotiations on the “Youth Experience Plan” when Britain and the European Union hold “resets” talks at the London Summit on May 19, but the issue is controversial in the United Kingdom.

Ursula von der Lin, head of the European Commission, discussed the policy of immigration with Sir Kerr Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in 45 minutes of talks in London on Thursday, which also focused on the new security and defense agreement.

The European Union diplomats said that the plan to allow less than 30 years of the European Union to spend up to three years in the United Kingdom and the opposite is an important part of the bloc’s delegation project for conversations.

UK government officials did not deny that von der Layen raised the case, and Downing Street refused to exclude the youth visa plan on Thursday, saying it would not provide a “comment” in the talks. A European Union official said they discussed all issues related to the summit.

In an attempt to manage political risks locally, the ministers are planning to remove a long -awaited white paper before the May 19 Summit, which puts the plans of the Labor Party government to reduce clear immigration.

“Timing is important,” said one of the British officials. “If we would say some of the things warm about the movement of youth at the top, it is important to assure the public that we are decreasing.”

The legal immigration numbers, which are the largest part of the entries in the United Kingdom, are already decreasing from record levels due to the existence of compensation provided under the previous conservative government.

Conservative Party leader Kimi Badnosh said she was “very concerned” about development. “Currently, we are unable to solve the small boat crisis,” she said. “This creates another way that people may use in the system game.” Immigration is also the main theme of the Reform Party in Nigel Faraj.

The most humble youth visa plan, covered and limited in time, is pushed through dozens of work deputies and peers of the Starmer Party, but conservatives claimed that it could lead to regime’s violations.

British officials expect Starmer to agree to an environment with European Union presidents at the summit on May 19 to view both sides to start talks in a number of areas, including a kind of youth movement. Detailed discussions have not started and are expected to take months.

Starmer pledged not to allow the return of the free movement, watching that it could enhance the support of the right -wing Popular Reform Party. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom also promised to cut the net deportation.

The German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Miguel Berger, said on Thursday that what the European Union launched a “youth experience plan” is vital to re -establishing the “fabric of personal relations” that was damaged by Britain’s exit from the European Union.

“I always hear that this is a kind of freedom of movement through the rear door, not because it will be driven by visas,” the UK’s Trade and Business Committee’s evidence said.

Berger said he expected the May 19 summit to agree to an environment that would “start the negotiation point” in a set of issues related to the re -setting of the European Union, adding that he hopes they will be concluded by the end of the year.

Berger said that he expected the youth experience plan in the text, as well as discussions on issues, including energy cooperation, fisheries, students, and removal of barriers to trade in food products.

The axis of the summit in London will be a UK security and defensive agreement, which was at the heart of discussions between Starmer and Von der Layen.

“Positive progress” was made to prepare the meeting, a prominent summit between the two sides after about nine years of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

A spokesman for the Downing Street said on Thursday that Starmer and Von der Layen “asked their teams to continue their important work in the coming weeks, with the aim of providing an ambitious package as much as possible at the first UK and European Union summit next month.”

To clarify the way for the security agreement, which will allow British companies to reach a new defense fund worth 150 billion euros, it is expected that Starmer will agree to the transfer of hunting rights in the European Union in UK waters, and to avoid Saddam with France and other coastal countries.

The European Union has already reduced some of its demands for the “movement of youth” and called it “Youth Experience” to emphasize its temporary nature. She originally wanted a four -year limit and accepted that the UK beneficiaries could live and work in all 27 member states, instead of only one.

“There can be a package of package without the movement of youth,” said one of the European Union diplomats. “

The diplomat said that it can be linked to the mutual opening in the UK’s regions, including removing obstacles that make it difficult for British musicians and other artists to make European tours.

Other British demands also include mutual recognition of professional qualifications, allowing skilled British workers such as surveyors and engineers in the European Union, and the ability of companies to spread employees to short -term positions more easily.

About 70 action deputies signed a letter to Nick Thomas-symonds, the UK Minister oversees negotiations with the European Union, and called for a limited time youth visa system.

YVette Cooper, UK Minister of Interior, argued that anyone staying more than one year will be calculated in the net British immigration figures, which she pledged to drop her.

Rachel Reeves, UK advisor, supports the concept and said on Wednesday that discussions about a possible plan were “continuing”.