The United Kingdom’s (UK) refusal to sign an agreement with the European Union (EU) on a student exchange programme called Erasmus in post-Brexit talks was influenced by its plan to establish a “competing” education scheme soon, an EU official said on Tuesday.
European Union (EU) Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier, who disclosed this to France Info broadcaster, called such decision “a failure” for the UK.London announced its decision to pull out of Erasmus on Thursday and replace it with a new scheme named Turing after UK famous computer science developer.
“It is a failure, but a failure for the British because it is they who have chosen not to participate,” Barnier said.The negotiator added that the UK would spend about three years setting up the new programme.
The politician explained that the UK proposal to participate in the Erasmus scheme “a la carte” for a time-line chosen by London was unacceptable for the 27-nation bloc.
The Erasmus project was introduced in 1987 and to date involves 37 countries and more than 5,000 higher educational institutions.Some 6 million students have participated in the programme since its launch.
The EU and the UK struck a post-Brexit trade agreement on Thursday, a week before the transition period expired.However, the deal is still expected to be approved by the European Council, the European Parliament, and UK lawmakers. (Sputnik/NAN)
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.