Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's policy is on negotiating future participation in the European Solidarity Corps.

The UK’s document setting out our Future Relationship with the European Union, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-approach-to-the-future-relationship-with-the-eu, states that the UK is ready to consider participation in certain EU programmes where it is in the UK’s and the EU’s interest that we do so. These programmes represent a real benefit to British people and industry. The Government will not be seeking participation in the next European Solidarity Corps programme from 2021-2027.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the current (2014-2020) ESC programme. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes until the end of the Transition period, will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.