MEPs ask if Scotland, Wales can rejoin Erasmus student program

LONDON — At least 145 MEPs are pressing the European Commission for a fix that allows Scotland and Wales to rejoin the bloc’s Erasmus+ mobility scheme.

In a letter Friday to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Education Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, MEPs said they are “deeply saddened and concerned” by the U.K. government’s decision not to take part in the scheme after Brexit on the basis it is too expensive.

Citing “a pronounced aspiration coming from Scotland and Wales” to take part, the letter asks the Commission whether it could see a “pathway” for the involvement of students and young professionals in the two British nations.

“There are no guarantees that it will be possible, but we at least wanted to explore everything … how we can find a good solution for this situation,” Terry Reintke, a German Green MEP spearheading the letter, wrote on Twitter.

The letter asks the Commission to meet the Scottish and Welsh governments to discuss policy options. According to The Times, Gabriel already virtually met with Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s higher education minister, to discuss collaboration.

German MEP David McAllister, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Radek Sikorski, a former Polish foreign affairs minister, also organized the letter.

The U.K. government plans to replace its involvement in Erasmus with the Turing scheme, which is expected to launch in September with an initial £100 million in funding. Northern Irish students will continue to participate in Erasmus+ thanks to Irish government funding.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman insisted Friday the U.K. scheme will be tailored to Britain’s needs, with a focus on social mobility.

But critics point to the fact that Turing does not cover the costs of incoming students from the EU.

“I am absolutely confident that the Turing scheme is a poor replacement for Erasmus+,” said Welsh Education Secretary Kirsty Williams at a press conference Monday, stating that she was working with colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland to try and retain membership of the scheme.

Bethan Sayed, the higher education spokesperson for Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, said Erasmus “is not just about sending U.K. students to Europe for a few terms, it’s about ensuring EU students can come here and gift us with their talents and strengthen our universities and colleges.”

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