Brexit
Britons should retain EU rights after #Brexit, Verhofstadt tells BBC
The lead Brexit negotiator for the European Parliament wants to ensure that Britons can retain the benefits of European Union citizenship after the UK leaves the block, he told BBC Radio 4 on Friday (10 March), writes James Davey.Guy Verhofstadt said last year's Brexit vote was a tragedy for both the UK and the EU but said he hoped to convince European leaders to allow Britons to retain a number of rights if they were applied for on an individual basis.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty to launch two years of divorce talks later this month.
Verhofstadt noted that all British citizens as EU citizens currently enjoy benefits such as consular aid, participation in European elections and freedom of travel.
"We need to have an arrangement in which this arrangement can continue for those citizens who on an individual basis are requesting it," he said.
Verhofstadt also said there were several issues on which the European Parliament was not prepared to compromise and he warned it could use its power to veto any deal it did not like.
Share this article:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Stepping out...to get the UK back in European Union
Improving energy efficiency of buildings to reduce bills and save energy
Energy use in the industry sector continues to decline
DG Translation in a city near you: June events
The role of quality assurance in advancing inclusive upper secondary VET in Slovenia
Europe must not turn its back on rural women’s empowerment
Commission accelerates transition away from animal testing in chemical safety assessments
Counterfeit cigarettes drive illicit tobacco trade to highest level in a decade, new study claims
Inconvenient questions about Andorra and San Marino that Brussels should be asking
How digital wallets are changing the way Welsh consumers pay for online services
Impasse in European Union Tobacco Tax Reform: The Swedish veto
EU Cybersecurity Act could expose member states to costly investment treaty claims, legal opinion warns
Várhelyi says unilateral measures by the US against the EU ‘would not be justified’
Libya’s fuel crisis offers lessons for energy security on both sides of the Mediterranean
490+ experts call for €10 billion ring-fenced health allocation in EU budget
ENVI opinion signals early resistance to Biotech Act SPC extension
Kazakhstan reforms under scrutiny at Brussels Press Club round table
Japan should face up to history and contribute more to regional peace
Ambassador calls for 'speeding up' of co-operation between EU and Kazakhstan
Timur Turlov at Smart Moves Summit 2025: How chess can transform global education
Shevtsova’s case: Out-of-court sanctions dismantling trust in Ukrainian cause
The future of European transport
Trump Vs Trueman
