On Tuesday 12 December, various associations (the3million, Españoles en el Reino Unido, EuroCitizens and British in Europe) met the Spanish foreign minister in Madrid. Alfonso Dastis
and his team listened to the concerns of these groups that represent
many of the 300,000 Britons in Spain and 200,000 Spaniards in the UK and
there was a frank and fruitful discussion.Camilla Hillier-Fry (EuroCitizens) highlighted the disappointment of citizens after the provisional agreement between the UK and the EU on 8 December left outstanding issues that affect people’s daily lives. Silvia González (the3million) listed the key problems: the lack of ring-fencing of an agreement about citizens’ rights; no right of return after an absence of more than five years; restrictions on the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice; no family reunification of future spouses and partners; the problems created by the UK’s proposal to include EU citizens under their present immigration procedures for third country nationals.
Michael Harris (EuroCitizens) mentioned that, due to reciprocity, the same immigration process would probably be applied to Britons in the EU, which would increase citizens’ difficulties in securing their status. He strongly criticised the EU’s current position limiting current freedom of movement rights for British residents in EU27 countries; it would be catastrophic for many families whose livelihood depended on this mobility. Ignacio Madariaga (Españoles en el RU) raised the issue of the loss of voting rights for both British and Spanish citizens. He also asked the Spanish government to study the implementation of double nationality for Britons in Spain and the spouses of Spaniards living in the UK. He made a series of practical suggestions. For example, the Spanish government could ask the UK to accept the Spanish Embassy’s register of citizens as valid proof of residence for the application process.
The ministry took note of the associations’ concerns and promised to bear them in mind, although he pointed out that negotiations are in the hands of the European Commission. Mr Dastis said that some of the citizens’ demands could probably be met, but he saw problems for others, such as the life-long right to return, except in well-documented cases. He admitted that issues such as double nationality and the vote in local elections could be agreed bilaterally between Spain and the UK. Finally, he expressed his desire to maintain as fully as possible the current status of Spaniards in Britain and Britons in Spain.
