The European Union Affairs Committee welcomes facilitating studying opportunities in UK universities

NordenBladet —

Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Liisa Pakosta explained that it was important for Estonia that the opportunities for students to study at the universities of the United Kingdom would improve, tuition fees would decrease, and a possibility for health insurance at favourable conditions would be created.

“The European Union is valuable for Estonia because, for one thing, we as a small nation can benefit from the advantages of studying in the UK universities similarly to large nations. The UK first started negotiations for young people to study on favourable conditions with larger nations, but the EU considered that discriminatory against smaller Member States. Estonia welcomes the European Union’s decision to hold negotiations on study conditions in such a way that smaller nations are also at the table as equals from the start,” Pakosta said.

The Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee noted that while more than 600 Estonian students were studying in the United Kingdom, currently there were as few as a dozen UK students in Estonia. “Therefore, it is important to also promote the studying opportunities our higher education institutions offer to international students,” she added. “We also need to ensure that Estonian students who are studying in the UK, or wish to do so, would be offered better financial conditions. Tuition fees at a large number of UK higher education institutions have multiplied for our young people, reaching to more than £40,000 per academic year.”

The explanatory memorandum points out that the agreement will make it possible to achieve uniform rules for mobility in Schengen area for young people of 18-30 years of age, contributing to the creation of a clearer and better legal space. The agreement would give young people in Estonia the same opportunities to study, work or do a traineeship in the UK as UK nationals in Estonia or other EU countries.

Advisers of the Ministry of the Interior Katarina Budrik and Harry Kattai gave an overview of the Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on youth mobility, and outlined the positions presented by the Government.

The European Union Affairs Committee decided by consensus to support the positions presented by the Government, considering the opinion of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.

For more information, please contact: Liisa Pakosta, phone +372 502 6191

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee welcomes facilitating studying opportunities in UK universities

Source: Parliament of Estonia