The Rights of Romanians in the UK after Brexit
Bucharests main objective in the context of the Brexit negotiations is to make sure that the rights of the Romanian citizens working and studying in Britain are respected.
Bogdan Matei, 30.03.2017, 13:08
No matter how fierce the domestic political battle, the Romanian political class has managed to reach a consensus in terms of foreign policy. Whether we refer to the early 2000s when Romania joined NATO and the EU, or to current challenges such as Romania’s accession to the Schengen area and Moldova’s path towards the European Union, the Romanian political parties seem to have put an end to polemics and have taken a common stand on the country’s foreign policy.
Romanian authorities estimate that over 250 thousand Romanians are currently living in the UK and their main objective, against the background of the Brexit negotiations, is for the rights of the Romanian citizens working and studying in Britain to be observed, the Minister delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall has said.
Ana Birchall: “Protecting the rights and interests of the Romanian citizens who are in Britain to work, study or simply because they have chosen to live and build a future for themselves there, is at the heart of the Brexit negotiations that we are holding at present. This is, if you want, Romania’s main objective in the negotiations that are to be held from a unitary perspective at the EU level. This is our most important objective as far as Brexit is concerned.”
Minister Birchall has also said that Romania is in favor of a unitary voice of the EU during the future negotiations regarding Brexit. The procedure was officially launched on Wednesday, when British Prime Minister Theresa May sent a letter to the Brussels officials invoking article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Liberal Senator Laura Scantei, in opposition, has said that after Brexit the status of British citizens living in Romania must also be regulated: “I would like to signal the fact that the status of British citizens who reside in Romania should be also considered during the negotiations. I refer to the rights they enjoy at present in Romania, as members of a EU state, including the right to purchase land here. This might be a problem as, according to the Romanian law and in keeping with the Accession Treaty, foreigners from the EU countries who reside in Romania have the right to purchase land in incorporated and unincorporated areas. We should also have, alongside all other European citizens, a bilateral accord in this respect so that we enjoy the same rights.”
The political debates in Bucharest took place at the same time with the visit to Romania of the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles of Wales, who loves Romanian nature and architecture. Decorated on Wednesday by President Klaus Iohannis with the “Romanian Star” National Order, Prince Charles said that he received the decoration as a special symbol of his great affection for Romania and Romanians.
