DISY–EPP MEP Loukas Fourlas announced before the plenary session of the European Parliament that he will travel to London on 17 February in his capacity as a member of the Committee on Culture and Education.
“The goal is clear,” Fourlas said. “To claim a reduction in tuition fees for European students.”
Call for active support from the European Commission
At the same time, Fourlas called on the European Commission to actively support this effort, stressing that if the United Kingdom wishes to renegotiate aspects of its relationship with the European Union, this cannot be done on a one-sided basis.
He underlined that this discussion is taking place at a time when an initial agreement has already been reached for the inclusion of British students in the Erasmus+ programme.
Tuition fees after Brexit
Fourlas raised the issue of the high tuition fees imposed on European students by British universities following Brexit, arguing that education should not become a tool of exclusion.
“Education cannot be turned into a mechanism that shuts people out,” he said, highlighting the need for the European Union to defend in practice the right of young people to equal access to education.
Education as a pillar of European sovereignty
The Cypriot MEP stressed that a stronger and more sovereign Europe is not built solely on defence and geopolitical strategy.
“It is also built with knowledge, with young people, and with equal opportunities in education,” he said.
Concluding his intervention, Fourlas said that a sovereign Europe is one that stands up for its younger generation.
“And this is what we must do today,” he said.