How an ‘emergency brake’ on EU students living in the UK would work | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDavid HughesMonday 30 March 2026 09:31 BSTStarmer signals closer alignment with EU’s single market to ease harm caused by BrexitThe European Union is resisting the UK's demand for an annual cap on participants in a proposed youth exchange scheme.The UK insists on a hard annual cap, potentially in the tens of thousands, for the scheme allowing under-30s to live, work, and study in each other's territories.Brussels proposes an alternative ‘emergency brake’ monitoring mechanism, arguing the scheme is not a migration programme and aims to build bridges between younger Britons and the EU post-Brexit.Disagreements also extend to university tuition fees, with EU negotiators wanting their students to pay the same rates as British counterparts in the UK.This dispute over the youth experience scheme is a key point of contention ahead of a major summit between Sir Keir Starmer and EU chiefs expected in June or July.In fullEU proposes ‘emergency brake’ to control numbers on youth exchange scheme with BritainThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in