The agreement concluded on Friday on Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) preserves the rights of citizens on both sides of the English Channel, EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier said on Friday. “This report preserves the rights of citizens without any discrimination based on nationality,” he said. “Citizens will be able to work and study on both sides of the Channel.” Family members who live in Europe will also keep their right to join their relatives in the UK and vice versa, while expatriates will keep their rights to health care, retirement and other social benefits, he added.
These principles will be finetuned and consolidated in the exit treaty, which should be ready by October 2018. The text will be incorporated into British law and judges in the UK will have to take the Court of Justice of the European Union’s jurisprudence into consideration in this regard.They will also be able to ask the Court preliminary questions for eight days after the country’s actual withdrawal from the EU.
An independent authority will be created in the UK to supervise the implementation of the withdrawal agreement while the European Commission will ensure the protection of British citizens in the EU.
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The Brussels Times
