EU Seeks Firmer UK Pledge on Discounted Tuition Fees Before November Summit
The European Union is seeking a firmer pledge from the UK government to guarantee European students discounted university tuition fees, ahead of a summit between the two sides later this month, the Guardian reported.
The question has also divided EU governments. At a meeting of senior EU diplomats on Wednesday, at least six member states opposed delaying a deal on tuition fees until after the summit. European Commission negotiators had proposed postponing an agreement on fees by six months to help ensure the November summit succeeds.
The core of the dispute is the cost of studying in Britain for people from the EU. Before Brexit, European students paid the UK's domestic rate rather than the much higher international fee, and the EU wants a return to that arrangement. International undergraduate fees can be four to six times the domestic rate, and can rise above £60,000. EU officials want EU students in the UK to pay just over £9,000 a year. The UK is willing to spend £450m a year on EU students if it can join the Made in Europe scheme, according to a separate report.
Reuters reported that the term "equal treatment" in the talks would mean a significant reduction in tuition fees for EU nationals in Britain. The Financial Times reported that Britain would offer cheaper access to its universities for EU students, at a potential cost of several hundred million pounds.
The fees question is tied to other parts of the package. EU officials argue that a food and drink deal, intended to cut Brexit-related paperwork and trade checks, would come into force only if there were a satisfactory agreement on tuition fees. Many member states believe that a failure to reach a fees deal should delay it. An agreement to relink the UK and EU emissions trading systems could also be held up pending a fees agreement.
Andy Burnham will meet the EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa in Brussels on 20 November. The meeting aims to sign three agreements, covering food and drink, carbon markets and youth exchange. It also aims to pledge a trusted partnership on steel and defence industries.
The youth exchange element concerns a scheme known as Yes, which would allow people aged 18 to 30 to live, work and study on both sides of the English Channel. In April, the two sides finalised an agreement to bring the UK into Erasmus+, the EU's student exchange programme, from 2027.
The two sides are at odds over overall numbers of people moving between them, as well as over tuition fees. The EU has described the 20 November summit as an opportunity to strengthen the strategic partnership and take a common stance on peace and security.
