When I boarded the train to London early this morning I knew my day would be focused on the rights of @The3Million: today I am pleased to announce the publication of “Endangered Rights: The Impact of Brexit on EU Citizens” with @FES_GB.
Little did I know how topical I’d be!
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Little did I know how topical I’d be!
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My thanks to @FES_GB for publishing this as part of its Perspective series to help raise awareness of the still unresolved #citizensrights concerns of @The3Million & @BritishInEurope. Thanks in particular to the Director of the FES London office, Christos Katsioulis. 2/
The publication will be available from the FES website later this week. It will be publicised in the UK and throughout the EU, including in Brussels, by FES offices to help make sure that no @The3Million nor @BritishInEurope citizen is left behind because of Brexit. 3/
As for today’s developments: @theresa_may’s assurances that the rights of @The3Million are protected in the event of no-deal are meaningless until legally-binding arrangements are in place. These must protect bilateral agreements too, a unilateral guarantee is not enough. 4/
Today’s developments reminded me in particular of what I wrote in the conclusion of the publication. I’d like to leave you with this for now: 5/
“EU citizens in the UK and Britons resident in an EU country are those currently exercising the right of freedom of movement. That makes them the citizens who are at the very heart of the EU and the ideals it was founded on.” 6/
“That these citizens—five million people and their families—are likely to become the main victims of Brexit makes the situation even worse than it would be in any case. They are, essentially, being punished for choosing to live exactly what the EU is about.” 7/
“That is why EU leaders, and governments and politicians throughout the EU, need now to be guided only by two fundamental principles: (1) humanity and (2) fairness.” 8/
“EU citizens in the UK and Britons in the EU should not bear the heaviest burden [...] UK and EU leaders, parliamentarians and negotiators, should use the little time that remains to finally put people before politics. After over two years of living in a state of uncertainty,” 9/
“EU citizens in the UK and Britons resident in EU countries deserve not only clarity and legally-binding guarantees. They also deserve what they were promised all along: that they are a priority and that their lives would not change.” 10/10
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