After more than 30 years, Great Britain is withdrawing from the European Erasmus program for students as part of the post-Brexit agreement. It was a “difficult decision,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday after the agreement on a trade agreement between London and Brussels. The program was “extremely expensive” for his country, Johnson justified the move.
–
The prime minister also announced a replacement program. He wanted to enable British students to study at the “best universities” in the world and not just in Europe. For the almost 150,000 students from EU countries currently enrolled at British universities, studying abroad at universities in the United Kingdom is likely to be more expensive and difficult.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier regretted the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus program. He called on the government in London to quickly create “clarity” about their alternative program. Great Britain has been part of Erasmus since 1987.
–
