The president of the European Commission has closed the door on separate Scottish participation in the bloc s flagship Erasmus+ education programme. In a letter to MEP Terry Reintke, Ursula Von Der Leyen said that, as a constituent nation of the UK, Scotland could not associate independently with the scheme. It comes after members of the European Parliament asked the Commission to explore whether Scotland and Wales could remain included after the UK Government decided to pull out. Erasmus+ funds education, student exchanges, training, youth and sport across the continent, and has a budget of 14.7 billion euros (£12.8bn). The UK Government is planning a replacement programme called the Turing Scheme which will be backed with over £100 million.
SNP higher education minister Richard Lochhead SCOTTISH and Welsh ministers have released a joint statement vowing to explore how both countries can continue to benefit from the EU s Erasmus scheme. They said the UK Government s decision to leave the student exchange programme following Brexit will reduce opportunities for all learners and cut support for the most deprived communities . Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously told MPs there was no threat to Erasmus, which offers opportunities to study abroad. However last month he announced the UK would pull out of the programme and replace it with its own scheme named after mathematician Alan Turing.
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