British in Europe has expressed its views following the release of the first draft of the agreement for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, published by the European Commission
In response, Jane Golding, Chair of British in Europe said: “The draft Withdrawal Agreement that came out today is mainly a drafting exercise. On the issue of citizens’ rights – or how Brexit affects real people’s lives – it tells us nothing that we didn't already know in December. That was disappointing then and it's still disappointing now”.
Contrary to what many UK ministers are saying, Jane Golding has claimed that the EU Withdrawal Agreement “confirms citizens' rights are far from a done deal”. She added that, in the opinion of British in Europe, this text does nothing to alleviate the fears of thousands of UK nationals in the EU27 who depend on free movement across member states daily. Instead, the text seems to state that they will not keep this right, thus seemingly contradicting previous statements from both sides.
On behalf of British in Europe, Jane Goldman also spoke of the group’s disappointment at the news that the UK Prime Minister Theresa May has not yet agreed to give citizens from the EU27 who move to the UK during the transition the same rights as those who moved before Brexit. British in Europe has claimed that this position is neither fair nor sustainable and has urged the Prime Minister to reverse this policy.
