No less than 3,454 Britons became Belgians between the Brexit referendum in June 2016 and 31 May 2019, l'Echo reported on Wednesday, using ministry of the interior data base figures. The number could be more than 4,000 by October 31, the new date set for Brexit.
The phenomenon grew significantly from the end of 2018, as a consequence of the approach of 29 March, the date initially set for Brexit, the newspaper stated.
Many European civil servants have opted for Belgian nationality in order to keep their jobs post-Brexit. The status of employees of European institutions requires that they come from an EU member State.
There are reported to be more than 2,000 Britons working in EU institutions, slightly fewer than 1,200 of them are working for the European Commission. Some British journalists have taken similar steps.
The Brussels Times
