Jane is now presenting at AFCO introducing British citizens in the EU... "Together with our friends, the3million living in the UK, we make up around 5 million of only 17 million EU citizens who fully use their right of free movement."
Jane tells her own story alongside her husband an ex-GDR citizen.
"Our lives are bound up with each other. You can’t just roll back the developments of the last 30 years and deny the integration that has come with free movement."
Quotes @MichelBarnier in Florence:
“The level of protection afforded under EU law must not be watered down. Brexit should not alter the nature of people's daily lives.”
“The level of protection afforded under EU law must not be watered down. Brexit should not alter the nature of people's daily lives.”
During the negotiations, however, this was watered down to the concept that citizens should be able to continue their lives ‘broadly’ as before and with protection limited to ‘existing life choices’.
@MichelBarnier During the negotiations, however, this was watered down to the concept that citizens should be able to continue their lives ‘broadly’ as before and with protection limited to ‘existing life choices’.
@MichelBarnier No deal is a disaster for British in Europe and the3million as there will be 28 unilateral national solutions for the 5 million citizens most directly affected by Brexit, their status dependent on where they live.
In other words, not an EU solution at all: instead the EU has outsourced the problem of UK citizens’ rights to the EU 27, encouraging the EU 27 to be generous (with varying degrees of success), while EU 27 citizens will have to rely on a UK national solution.
And for both groups, there will be no protection of an international treaty, and important reciprocal issues such as pensions and healthcare, as well as recognition of qualifications, will simply not be covered.
This is like being on a sinking ship with lifeboats, ignoring the lifeboats and waiting instead for 28 different rescue boats with different rescue plans to arrive.
But what is the point of the European Union protecting [the 4 freedoms] in the abstract if it does not protect the concrete exercise of the fundamental right of freedom of movement by the citizens who are at its heart?
The EU is missing an unprecedented opportunity to show that Europe goes beyond the national. It is missing an unprecedented opportunity to show that the fundamental rights of EU citizens matter.
So what can be done? The solution being proposed is that our EU rights evaporate and the problem is outsourced to 28 different countries, with no protection at EU level.
We have been told that ringfencing is impossible and that this reciprocal unilateral engagement approach is the only way to avoid an inflation of mini-deals which is simply a way for the UK to pick and choose its advantages in its future relationship with the EU.
If an Article 50 extension is agreed, citizens need the EU to commit to EU-level ringfencing as soon as the extension commences and that must be an EU-wide solution.
So British in Europe and the3million are not asking for anything to be re-negotiated, but are asking for what was already agreed for both sets of citizens to be saved rather than shredded.
These children of the European project look to you to recognise the duty of care that the EU owes to them. They call on you to recognise how urgently you need to protect five million of your most committed citizens, including young British adults...
who have grown up in other countries and are truly becoming citizens of nowhere in some cases.
Above all, please don’t let down 5 million of the only 17mn EU citizens who have used their free movement rights and penalise them for being committed Europeans. If you do, you will not only undermine their belief in the European project but that of future generations as well.
Jane's full speech will be on our website later....
