Britain ready to spend up to £450m on EU students for access to Made in Europe — The Guardian

The UK government is prepared, under the most expensive scenario, to spend up to £450 million a year compensating universities for lower tuition fees for students from the EU. The concession is possible only if Brussels grants London access to the Made in Europe industrial programme, The Guardian reports.

Tuition fees

According to the publication, British authorities have prepared a plan under which students from European Union countries would pay the same tuition fees as British students. The government is considering compensation for universities for lost income from lower fees.

EU representatives want their students to pay slightly more than £9,000 a year instead of international fees, which can exceed £60,000. Negotiations on this issue had previously reached a deadlock. Under the most expensive scenario — if fees are aligned with domestic rates and demand for British universities is high — government spending could reach £450 million annually. One British official called this estimate speculative.

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Conditions for access to the programme

British negotiators are prepared to agree to lower fees only in exchange for guarantees of access to Made in Europe. The programme is planned to be finalised next year; it предусматривает trade restrictions for countries outside the EU. London seeks to ensure that British companies have the same conditions within it as enterprises from European Union member states.

Other areas of negotiation include emissions trading, agricultural products and a youth mobility scheme. It could reportedly allow up to 80,000 young Europeans to come to the UK to work, live and study. The negotiations are planned to be concluded at a summit in Brussels on 20 November.