Glimmer of light for working in Europe

On 15^th January 2025, James MacCleary MP, introduced the Youth Mobility Scheme (EU Countries) Bill which has passed from it’s first reading to the next stage, which is just a debate in Parliament on 25^th July 2025 so it's a start but don't get too excited.

The move by the Lib Dems puts welcome pressure on the Labour Government to negotiate a deal with the EU to re-introduce hassle free rights to work for a fixed period in Europe for British 18 to 30 year olds. This would apply in the other direction for young EU based seasonal workers which would greatly help our hospitality and agricultural industries. From our perspective the proposal would cover a set period of time, such as working summer or ski seasons, hopefully without needing a proper visa.

So we wouldn’t be getting our freedom of movement rights back, but it would at least allow young people to do short term work in each others countries without the current bureaucracy (bureaucracy like the UK having to issue 40 odd thousand seasonal work visas anyway in 2025 for food production). Schemes like the UK Seasonal Worker Visa and the various versions of it in the EU are expensive to deal with and can lead to sub optimal working conditions by heavily restricting workers rights, and usually linking them to a single sponsor employer who might or might not be a decent employer.

There are already similar schemes to Mr MacCleary's proposal in place already that enable young people to live and work much further away in countries such as Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada. These schemes are established and have proven to work very well, many argue that it seems ridiculous that this is not in place for countries like France, Spain and Italy. Polls suggest that such an agreement with the EU is widely supported by the UK population and EU leaders.

In his speech, Mr MacCleary summarised the myriad of common-sense reasons that this is a good idea for the UK and EU socially, economically and in terms of Britain’s relations with our closest neighbours.

Mr MacCleary said “This Bill gives us the chance to send a different message to a generation of young people who have been denied the opportunities that so many of us in this Chamber took for granted when we were growing up. If we wanted to take a job or to study in an EU country, we could just go and do so. Opportunity and hope for the future have rarely been in such short supply in this country, and this is how we can provide some of both.”

“It is a youth mobility scheme with the EU that would open up opportunities for British young people to learn new skills, languages and cultures and bring all of that back with them to benefit our economy and our society. This would not be the UK’s only reciprocal youth mobility scheme. We have such arrangements in place already with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada. They are familiar and tried and tested, allowing those aged 18 to 30 to live, work and study in the countries involved for a set period.”