BRUSSELS — The European Union announced that an upcoming summit with the United Kingdom, initially planned for July, may be delayed. The proposed date for the summit shifted from May to June 29, and then to a tentative July 13.
"I believe that still the expectation is that we would have the summit, most probably in July," said Maroš Šefčovič. "The summit is supposed to be mid-July but at the moment it could be put back to after the summer," said one EU diplomat. "There is common concern that momentum is being lost. Negotiations always continue until the moment the clock stops and then you have a text the next morning, but because there is no deadline, the pressure is off," said one EU diplomat.
Šefčovič identified youth mobility as one of the top three issues in the negotiations. Twenty European ministers spoke at a recent meeting to emphasize the importance of youth experience in UK relations. A proposed visa scheme would allow citizens under the age of 30 to travel for up to three years. The United Kingdom proposed capping annual EU citizen entries for the scheme at between 40,000 and 50,000. Four EU sources reported that negotiations are stalled over an EU requirement for domestic tuition rates for its citizens studying in the UK.
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle held a one-hour meeting with Šefčovič in Brussels. Kyle stated that the United Kingdom must consider voter concerns regarding migration when finalizing youth mobility agreements. "We are very aware of the strength of feeling about youth mobility but a deal had to be respectful for both sides," said Kyle. "We have never set a date for it, but it is incoming and we are throwing our heart and soul into this reset," said Kyle. "The way to win over the British people is to show that the EU delivers for British people wherever you live in the country. If we can get those two things right from both sides then I think we have a really fantastic future," said Kyle.
Negotiators from the UK and EU are seeking agreements on youth mobility, food and drink trade regulations, and carbon emissions. The scheduled annual UK-EU summit is the second to be held since Brexit. Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen met at Lancaster House in Westminster for the inaugural UK-EU summit.