Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)

Earl of Clancarty Excerpts

Thursday 26th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Clancarty (CB)]

My Lords, the title of the report is Unfinished Business, and the quicker we finish the business and properly cement our relationship with the EU, the better. It is becoming increasingly likely that our own democracy could be severely tested in the coming years, if we have a different Government. We need to have structures in place that are rock solid and not easily undone. A sympathetic relationship with the EU, to which so much import is given today, will be the first thing swept away. There needs to be a rock-solid commitment to all the European structures, which, contrary to what some claim, strengthen our sovereignty and help to protect our democracy—the two things are related—by virtue of being part of something larger than ourselves that is itself a democratic structure. If people believe that the EU is not perfect, we need to be in there making it so.

I will give some specifics. I welcome the Government’s agreement to rejoin Erasmus+ since the publication of this excellent report, led by the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts. First, will the Government not extend the time for committing to this scheme to give it the best chance of success? Ten months is too short a period to take a sounding, considering that the scheme needs to bed in and eligible groups need to be encouraged to reply. Secondly, there is the concern about travel restrictions, including visas and passports. Will the Government look at the possibility of group passports for school pupils, assuming school trips and exchanges will be a significant part of the scheme?

Almost 20 months into this Labour Government, there is still no tangible evidence of any improvement in the lot of musicians touring. Indeed, UK Music has made the point that customs bureaucracy in terms of visas and carnets have increased, meaning that things have actually gone backwards. What the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, said earlier in this debate about the possible attitude of DCMS is worrying. As the Minister will know, and as DCMS should know, this is an urgent matter about which the sector is hugely concerned. There are also, of course, wider trade concerns for all the arts and creative industries, with ongoing losses in job opportunities and huge monetary losses, including what we have lost in not rejoining Creative Europe. The Government absolutely need to rethink that, both for that reason and for the role it could play in helping to unblock progress in other areas.

Finally, perhaps the most intransigent problem of all for the creative industries and further afield is the huge difficulty of obtaining jobs in Europe. Artists and creators, from film actors to opera singers, now commonly face applications that insist on an EU passport, so that many fall at the first hurdle. I understand that this is a legally grey area but I ask the Minister: will the Government look at this, including in relation to the youth mobility scheme? What good is such a scheme if our young people continue to be shut out of jobs in Europe because of frankly understandable concerns from reputable potential employers, when the rest of the pool to draw from has no such relevant red tape or financial costs attached and, as important, there is no time element involved? Will the Government promise to look at this in a purely practical way, because it is the practicalities here that are crucial?