BORIS Johnson’s Government is trying to stop both Scotland and Wales being able to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus scheme, a seminar has heard.
Hywel Ceri Jones, former European Commission director for education, told an online event that Westminster didn’t agree with the discussions between Edinburgh, Cardiff and Brussels and would lobby the bloc to prevent the countries getting any special access.
“We have seen now the Government in London has already given a signal that it doesn’t agree at all that Wales and Scotland could do something special on their own,” he told the online seminar organised by the European Movement in Scotland.
“I believe [the UK Government] would be extremely difficult and negative in any discussions with the European Commission in Brussels.”
READ MORE: Scotland 'extremely welcome' back into Erasmus scheme to keep vital EU ties
The revelation came as it emerged that the Commission pointed out last week that “in general” only independent states were able to join Erasmus – dashing earlier optimism that Scotland would be able to take part in the bloc’s international exchange programme.
Hopes had been raised after Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead held talks with the EU’s education commissioner Mariya Gabriel last month.
It is also the case that Northern Ireland universities may be able to remain in the scheme after the Republic of Ireland agreed to back their continued membership. However, last night one university in Belfast told The National it was still unclear about what was happening.
Last night the Scottish Government indicated it hadn’t given up on the discussions with Brussels around Erasmus.
READ MORE: EU 'flexibility' may yet allow Scotland to regain Erasmus, scheme founder says
A Scottish Government spokesperson told The National: “We are in contact with the European Commission around this issue and are looking to continue the dialogue we initiated, including exploring what creative options might be found that maximise the level of participation Scottish institutions have with the Erasmus+ Programme.”
Meanwhile, Professor Anton Muscatelli, principal of Glasgow University and senior adviser to the Scottish Government, told the European Movement’s seminar he hoped Brussels would keep an open mind on allowing Scotland to rejoin Erasmus.
The EU’s regulations currently say only independent states (and not parts of them) are allowed to join Erasmus.
READ MORE: Brussels looks at enabling Scotland to remain in EU's Erasmus scheme
Muscatelli referred to a letter sent last month by around 145 MEPs to the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to urge her to permit Scotland and Wales to join. Authored by the two German MEPs Terry Reintke, of the Greens, and David McAllister, of Angela Merkel's CDU, it was backed by politicians from across political parties.
“If the regulations [are] as currently stipulated then it is impossible I think and this is what I suspect is at the heart of the MEPs’ attempt to lobby the Commission to change the terms of regulations going forward into the next phase of Erasmus plus,” he told the seminar.
“I think that will be the biggest barrier, how the regulations are drawn up.”
The UK Government had the option of remaining in Erasmus after Brexit but decided against continued membership in favour of its own Turing programme.
READ MORE: Scots Erasmus hopes dashed for now as EU says it's only open to independent states
However, the Turing scheme does not allow overseas students to study in Scotland, a draw back to the programme for Scottish universities and for Scotland more broadly as the country wishes to attract people to live and work there to help boost the population and contribute to the economy.
David Clarke, vice-chair of the European Movement in Scotland, urged the Commission to show flexibility. He said: “As the Commission statement makes clear, it is considering the request from Scotland and Wales, and there can be exceptions to the general rule.
“We recognise Scotland holds a special place for the wider European public, and that the EU holds a special place for the Scottish public as demonstrated in the referendum.”
Asked about Jones' intervention that the Conservative Government were lobbying Brusselsto stop Scotland and Wales rejoining Erasmus, a Department for Education spokesman said the UK had left the programme.
“The UK Government decided to not participate in the next Erasmus+ programme as it was not in the interest of UK taxpayers and our net contribution would have been around £2bn over the programme," he said.
"The new global Turing Scheme will provide thousands of students across all of the UK with the opportunity to study and work abroad, beyond EU countries, and will include additional support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We will continue to work with the sector and devolved administrations to deliver the programme, backed by £110 million, ensuring students from all backgrounds benefit from the opportunity to learn across the world.”
READ MORE: 'United Ireland happening?': Dublin funds EU schemes for the north
This morning an an EU official underlined its position that there could be no separate membership of Erasmus for different parts of the UK.
She told The National: "As one constituent nation of the UK, association to Erasmus+ is not possible for Scotland (Wales, N. Ireland, or England) separately. The only possibility for the UK it to associate as a whole, or not at all."
A spokesman for higher education umbrella organisation Universities Scotland: “Our priority is to ensure that the Turing Scheme is as successful as possible for students to study abroad next academic year."
A spokeswoman for Queen's University in Belfast said they were awaiting further details about Erasmus membership.
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