Britain, on Thursday, eliminated certain costly impediments imposed on school trips post-Brexit, with this adjustment currently exclusive to students from France, prompting campaigners to call for its extension to encompass all EU countries.
This reversal comes after discussions earlier this year between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on the matter.
Effective immediately, French and EU nationals studying in schools in France and undertaking language-learning holidays across the Channel will only need a basic identity card, returning to the pre-2021 arrangement before the UK’s formal departure from the European Union.
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Although non-EU nationals enrolled in French schools will continue to require a passport for entry into the UK during language-learning holidays, London has eliminated the necessity for them to obtain a £115 ($147) visa.
In response to Thursday’s changes, the British Educational Travel Association, which has witnessed a decrease in demand for school trips post-Brexit, deemed the modifications “a positive step ahead” and urged the UK government to broaden them to encompass the entire European Union.
The British Educational Travel Association (BETA) is advocating for a novel initiative that would enable groups of EU nationals and residents under 18 years old to undertake educational visits to the UK for a duration of up to six weeks.
In France, the director of an organization providing school trips expressed enthusiastic approval for the partial easing of restrictions ahead of the new year, predicting that it would catalyze a revival in visits.
‘These changes are much more than a victory’, said Edward Hisbergues of PG Trips, which had complained of a drop in demand for excursions to the UK owing to prohibitive costs.
‘The United Kingdom is once again giving teachers an image of a welcoming country that loves France,’ he told AFP.