British and European Union negotiators wrangled over measures to ease travel for students, young workers and tourists this weekend, as the two sides raced to resolve policy disputes ahead of a summit meant to reset their fraught relationship.
Hours before Prime Minister Keir Starmer was scheduled to host Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders in London on Monday, the U.K. and the EU had still not agreed on plans for a youth exchange program, according to people familiar with the talks. The European side has balked at what it viewed as an unambitious offer that fell short of its desire for Britain to join its Erasmus+ student exchange program, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
The U.K. has so far been reluctant to support policies that could prompt an influx of students and young workers as Starmer seeks to curb immigration five years after Brexit. The lack of progress on youth mobility has made the EU cautious about signing off on other travel-related commitments that were expected in the agreement to be published on Monday, including on touring British artists and the right of U.K. citizens to use e-gates in EU countries, the people said.
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