How the EU benefits young people

Being part of the EU brings huge opportunities for Scotland’s young people, including the right to work, train, travel or study in 28 EU member countries.

Here are just five ways being in the EU is good for Scotland’s young people.

• EU membership means young people have the right to train and study in any EU country – under the same conditions as that country’s nationals. Between 2007/08 and 2013-14, over 11,500 young people in Scotland took advantage of this right through the European Union’s Erasmus scheme.

• EU membership supports jobs, meaning more opportunities here in Scotland. The EU is the top destination for our international exports – from whisky to computer games – with over 300,000 jobs estimated to be linked to exports to the rest of the EU.

• The EU shares Scotland’s commitment to tackling youth unemployment. Our efforts to get more young people into work were boosted earlier this year with £60 million of funding from the European Commission’s Youth Employment Initiative.

• Our universities and research institutes benefitted from €630 million of EU funding for research and innovation between 2007 and 2013 – supporting world-class universities to the benefit of Scotland’s students.

• Freedom of movement gives young people the right to travel and work anywhere within the EU, visa free.