UK and EU schedule second bilateral summit for July 22

The United Kingdom and the European Union have scheduled their second bilateral summit for July 22 in Brussels, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, following meetings between Starmer, European Council President António Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Starmer framed the summit as a fulfillment of his Labour government's pledge to reset relations with the bloc a decade after the Brexit referendum. He stated that closer cooperation is essential to tackle the cost of living, boost jobs, and create opportunities for young people. Costa echoed the sentiment, calling close UK-EU cooperation vital for shared European security, resilience, and prosperity.

The summit, which follows a first meeting last May, is expected to focus on finalizing a youth mobility scheme. The proposed deal would allow citizens under 30 to live, work, and study in each other's territories. Negotiations, however, have involved wrangling over details, including potential discounted tuition fees for EU students at British universities and possible caps on participant numbers.