British negotiators ‘blindsided’ by Brussels’ demand for a reduction that could cost universities £140m a year
Britain is in a standoff with Brussels over a demand to cut university tuition fees for European students, in a row that threatens to scupper Keir Starmer’s planned EU reset.
EU officials say European students should pay “home” fees of about £9,500 a year as part of the negotiations over a youth mobility scheme, rather than the higher international rate, which can rise above £60,000.
However, British negotiators say they have been blindsided by the demand, which they say was not mentioned in the framework agreement signed last year and would cost British universities an estimated £140m a year.
Sources say the disagreement has brought talks to a near standstill with just three months left before a summit in Brussels in late June or early July.
