The European Union has called on the British government to provide a firm guarantee that European students will continue to be eligible for the lower domestic rate of university tuition fees before a key summit scheduled for later this month.
At a meeting of senior EU diplomats on Wednesday, delegates from at least six member states said they wanted an explicit pledge from London that EU citizens studying in the UK will be charged the reduced, domestic fee level. Several members argued that without such an assurance, agreement on a prized food and drink deal should be postponed.
The demand links educational access to wider negotiations between the EU and the UK, with diplomats using the promise on tuition fees as leverage in talks over other bilateral arrangements. The intervention underscores how issues affecting students and universities have become entwined with commercial and political negotiations following the countries' evolving post‑Brexit relationship.
University fees are a sensitive topic because domestic rates are typically substantially lower than those set for international students, and a guarantee of continued access at the domestic level would affect thousands of EU nationals who study in Britain. EU member states framing the issue as a precondition for broader agreements suggests the bloc is testing how far it can secure benefits for its citizens in UK institutions.
Diplomats said they expect clarity from the UK in time for the summit. Talks are ongoing, and both sides will need to resolve whether an explicit pledge on fee levels can be reached ahead of the meeting, and whether that will unlock progress on the associated food and drink deal.