PERSPECTIVE| FES LONDON Endangered Rights The Impact of Brexit on EU Citizens TANJA BUELTMANN September 2018 n The issue of citizens’ rights has not been resolved. Brexit continues to pose specific threats to the rights and livelihoods of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons resi­dent in other EU countries. Agreements reached to date provide neither adequate guarantees nor certainty, especially as they rely on reaching an overall agreement. n As it stands, both EU citizens in the UK and Britons in other EU countries are set to lose rights. Such retroactive changes, and the continuing uncertainty for both groups, are unacceptable. n For EU citizens in the UK the agreed new ›settled status‹ poses serious risks. All 3.7 million EU citizens currently living in the UK are there legally, but in future will have to apply for this status regardless of how long they have lived in the UK. As it is an application, there is a risk of rejection. Some groups, such as children or the elderly, are especially vulnerable. There will also be a charge for the application. The best­case outcome is a loss of rights, while the worst-case outcome – rejection of the application – could lead to illegality and deportation. n No-deal Brexit poses an even more serious threat to both EU citizens in the UK and Britons resident in EU countries, as it would make void even the inadequate agree­ments already reached. The UK government has repeatedly refused to clarify what this would mean for EU citizens in the UK. Regrettably, the EU has no adequate contingency plans to protect the affected citizens either. n It is critical that people be put before politics. The UK and the EU must ring-fence agreements reached, with a Citizens’ Rights Protocol added to the Withdrawal Agreement for EU citizens in the UK, to finally give certainty to five million people. Their lives must not become collateral for Brexit.