It has come sooner than we might have thought. But the first crunch parliamentary vote on Brexit is about to take place. Not in Westminster, but 200 miles to the east, in Brussels. And the British press is waking up to it.
Splashed across the front page [£] of Saturday’s edition of The Times is the news that Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian MEP who leads the Liberal group in the European Parliament, backs the idea of offering EU citizenship directly to Brits who want it post-Brexit. The Guardian and others have reported on it too (if you don’t have access through the paywall).
I first blogged about this idea last month, and wrote about it here in Lib Dem Voice earlier this month after learning that another Liberal MEP, Luxembourg’s Charles Goerens, had started to push for it.
Brexit might not yet happen, but on 8 December MEPs on the Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee will cast the first votes on whether Brits might be able to opt back in to the EU as individuals in the event that it does.
Now is the time to lobby your MEPs. It won’t be good if the idea falls at the first hurdle. I’ve set out all you need to know in a post on the blog I set up to campaign for this very thing. It tells you all about the proposal, why it’s a good idea for pro-EU Brits, why it would make sense for the rest of the EU to offer it, and why there’s no good reason for those who want the UK to leave the EU to oppose it.
This idea would not force anything on anyone. It would be “opt in”. If you wanted to stay an EU citizen, you could. If you wanted to leave, you could. In contrast, Brexit forces us all to leave whether or not we want to do so. Brexit is a one-size-fits-all straitjacket. This opt-in citizenship idea gives individuals the freedom to choose what’s best for them. It is a very liberal solution.
Now is the time for us to lobby our MEPs. Our awesome Catherine Bearder is on board. Let’s convince the others too (although maybe not bother with the kippers).
* Stuart Bonar was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Plymouth Moor View.
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38 Comments
This is an excellent idea. This will be a real test of how communautaire the continentals actually are. I’ll sign up myself if the fees are small enough.
I’m in. Great idea.
Yes, I am very interested in retaining EU citizenship. Please keep me further advised on any developments. Thanks in advance.
Bryn King
It appears to be no different from someone having dual nationality, so I can’t see there being any problem from the UK. However, the EU won’t yet confirm that UK citizens currently living in EU countries can remain after brexit, so this would seem to be jumping the gun. I can’t see Mrs Merkle entertaining this before the official brexit negotiations start.
It is indeed a brilliant idea, and I can’t see any reason why anyone could be against it – even leavers. It’s called democracy. I will be more than willing to pay my anual fee.
A suggestion, why don’t we champion a soft Brexit now, with the commitment to review it in 5 years or so, and if it isn’t working the way we wanted to then to implement a hard Brexit? Seems a much safer way to go about such huge change in this country.
We had a zeugma from Andrew Marr on 27/11/16. He should know better. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-zeugma.html
Everything that Nick Clegg wrote about Michael Gove is justified, but there is more. The Tory MP and backbencher is full of clichés, but “a politician complaining about the media is like a sailor complaining about the sea”. Does he have the permission of the Tory whips, or the PM, to give away one of the negotiating cards she has treasured so much?
If not, perhaps a vote in the Commons would be interesting. Huge numbers of people who are legally in the UK from other EU member states await a decision from the UK government. Is he willing a rebel?
“BREXIT is a one size fits all straitjacket”. Funny how you didn’t advocate a similar approach for those who haven’t wanted to be in the EU for the last 40 years.
We need to be careful that Britain doesn’t pay high contribution fees plus our citizens who want to be EU members pay citizenship fees on top of that. It would truly be a bad deal for Britain.
There’s a decent chance of me moving to the continent, but I’ve had my mind set since before the referendum on a working visa as a backup if we pull out of the EU.
Again, respectfully, I think we need to argue for a good/fair deal for Britain and I don’t see that as nationalist or naive.
This wouldn’t be full compensation for brexit, but it would be very welcome indeed
I think the idea is simply that many in the EU parliament do not want to be in a position of allowing EU citizenship away from those who value it. Practically, it would mean that those already outside the UK, but in the EU might continue as EU citizens. There would be many problems that it would not solve – heath for retired ex-pats for example, but I presume the debate is to establish a principle that rights should not be removed against a person’s expressed intent.
I would certainly take it up if it became available. In effect it could be a Brexit refugee identity card.
A couple of people have said they will pay the annual fee before knowing what it is. If everyone said that it would likely put up the fee.
It could also reduce visa rights if the EU starts just telling us to buy an EU passport instead, so we need to be careful. This is not a freebie and we need to negotiate on it.
@Eddie Sammon
Nobody who matters will take this idea seriously.
I plan to keep my card next to my Justice League of America one.
Are we seriously going to talk about “the continentals”, John Peters? Sheesh. Brexit seems to have regressed us to 1920s teenagers.
Malc, you claim that “the EU won’t yet confirm that UK citizens currently living in EU countries can remain after brexit”. But everyone knows other EU countries are perfectly happy for UK citizens to stay, because they all wanted us to Remain. You’re turning reality on its head.
*Only Britain* wants any change to the current position on free movement. It’s for the British government to confirm the terms on which it will allow EU citizens to stay in Britain post Brexit, not the other way round.
Has someone set up a petition site (someone with better digital skills than me)? I’m all for the idea, though it’s surely comes with complexity. Nonetheless, while supporting and lobbying for EU citizenship we should also use the numbers in a petition to remind HMG, parliament and media that many millions in the U.K. are unhappy, and gird the loins of EU parliamentarians.
@ Carl – “Malc, you claim that “the EU won’t yet confirm that UK citizens currently living in EU countries can remain after brexit”. But everyone knows other EU countries are perfectly happy for UK citizens to stay”
In that case it should be incredibly easy to complete this preliminary agreement well in advance of the Article 50 in March.
I look forward to this happening imminently…
Excellent idea, especially for the huge number of UK citizens who live in other parts of the EU than the UK. Many of these people were not allowed to vote in the referendum (or general elections in any country) although they were among the most directly concerned by the result. However one of the few things we do get to vote for are the MEPs in the country where we live. So it is important that these non-UK MEPs be lobbied too.
Martin Roche
There’s this one
https://www.change.org/p/eu-offer-european-citizenship-to-uk-citizens?recruiter=643011476&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
I’ve already registered, did it weeks ago.
@John Peters ‘I’ll sign up myself if the fees are small enough.’
If you are the John Peters who is, by your own admission, a Tory voter and has been consistently rubbishing the European ideal on Lib Dem Voice, this strikes me as being the ultimate in hypocrisy. If, as I hope , this idea becomes a reality I trust that those wishing to adopt European citizenship should be required to affirm their belief in the European ideal, in which case cynics will need to be blatantly dishonest to get the benefits of European citizenship.
For those of us who regard ourselves as Europeans as well as Britons, this is a welcome lifeline. I’d be happy to pay anything within reason to retain what we’ve enjoyed for many years and to demonstrate that I’m not a separatist….
Leekliberal, the problem with your idea is people might be afraid to criticise the EU in case they get kicked out of the continent. People who sign up for EU citizenship should be able to speak freely without fear of deportation.
This proposal would create two classes of European citizens: those with the right to live and work in the EU and the UK (British citizens), and those with only the right to live and work in the EU. I thus can’t see this proposal being very popular outside the UK.
If the cost was the same as a UK passport (£72.50) and 10 million UK citizens went for it, then that is £725 million to EU coffers towards, say, the refugee crisis. What’s not to like?
It’s interesting that so many seem to think that this proposal has a chance of being enacted.
@Noorderling “I thus can’t see this proposal being very popular outside the UK.”
I agree with your conclusion.
I can see why (at the right price) it could appeal even to pro-Brexiters, offering some of the benefits of EU membership that are enjoyed by more affluent Brits (freedom to travel, live, work, trade, buy property, etc. in Europe) without the downside (to Brexiters) of actually being in the EU and having to reciprocate these freedoms. But if it were genuinely an attractive option for the EU, surely it would want to offer the same opportunity to citizens of Turkey, Russia, the Middle East, America, Africa, India, China, etc. And that does not seem likely. Indeed, is that even something that Lib Dems who like this idea would want to implement for other countries if they succeed in preventing Brexit?
I am supporting this idea 100% and have already signed the petition L Morgan has referenced
https://www.change.org/p/eu-offer-european-citizenship-to-uk-citizens?recruiter=643011476&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
There are 161,000 signatures, but more needed. Current target is 200,000 signatures
if anyone has any other ideas on how we can push hard for this
This should be in every Focus leaflet with a response slip. There’s a fantastic data base of Remainers to be built here.
Suppose someone from Turkey, or Syria, wishes to apply for EU citizenship? Or from the European area of Russia? Or the Ukraine? Or lots of other places too!
So EU will say no to them but yes to anyone who’s British? And what about anyone who’s from the Channel Islands? Many people are quite unaware of this but they aren’t in the EU.
West Germany reserved a place for East Germany, not as a separate state, but by unification. Cyprus is a member state of the EU, but is divided between north and south. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/20/newsid_3866000/3866521.stm
Talks have been delicate and lengthy but a peaceful resolution is possible.
Both my husband,Gerard ,and I wish to have European citizenship.
Having lived ,worked and retired in France for 27 years , this is our home.
How can we help the campaign?
Sally and Gerard Miller.
In reality this proposal means one sided Freedom of movement, and is a good example of having your cake and eating it.
There’s this also this petition to take the debate to uk parliament and have the idea of associate eu citizenship discussed and considered:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/172021
Please could you sign and share!
In the spirit of lobbying, I have written this petition. Whilst the ball is clearly in the Constitutional Affairs Committee’s court at the moment, it is vital that the UK Government is made to consider this as an option.
Please sign and share!
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/172021
This is a way forward for us right minded people who wanted to stay in the Euopean Union. I am in please keep me informed if progress is made. After Christmas I intend to go into my family tree to see if I have an ancestor that entitles me for a Euopean Passport
Despite the claims of the Europhobes the EU does not have the structures of national governments. Its function is to provide a process by which neighbouring states can reach agreement in a way that is subject to democratic oversight.
This means that EU states with the Parliament could agree on a principle that rights as an EU citizen should not be arbitrarily removed, it would be up to individual states to make the principle a reality. The proposal came from Luxembourg, a country that has over 7 times the immigration per capita of that of the UK. I could see that Luxembourg and many other EU states could readily put together a system whereby UK citizens could have an additional card that would provide continuity to their current status. Such citizens would not only have associate EU citizenship, but would have associate citizenship to their host country.
What I cannot see is a possibility that UK citizens resident in the UK could apply for the same status. To whom would they apply?
Follwoing reading this I have indeed emailed all my regions MEP’s, even the “kippers” and asked them to consider this and help to project some fo the rights I was born with as an EU citizen.
As someone who has residency right in another EU country thanks to my EU Citizenship, I want this to succeed!
I am trying to encourage people to e-mail their MEP’s to support Charles Goeren’s ‘Ammendment 882’ initiative. By all means sign the online petition too, but if every MEP gets 10 or more e-mails or letters on this it may well have an impact.
Some have scoffed at the chances of success, but remember the ALDE Group does have a pivotal role. I reckon this could well be supported by many of not all the MEPs in the EPP, the Socialist Group and the Greens (and maybe some in the Leftist block too).