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| Speakers: Alex Luzárraga (Amadeus), Michael Harris (EuroCitizens), Elena Conde (UCM), Jochen Müller (European Commission), José Domingo Roselló (UGT), Camilla Hillier-Fry (EuroCitizens), Andy Mackay (British Council) Silvia González (the3million), Mark Kitcatt (IMPALA), Tom Morgan (European Parliament). |
Photos of the event: https://www.facebook.com/pg/EuroCitizensSpain/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1783399285069160
Full report:
Tom Morgan, Public Relations Officer at the European Parliament, introduced the seminar noting that the EP was playing a high-profile role in the negotiations and would ultimately need to approve the final outcome.“If a divorce ends badly, who suffers most? The children. And who are the children in this case? Young citizens”
Michael Harris, Chair of EuroCitizens, highlighted the continuing deterioration of the position of UK citizens living in Europe. Under the current withdrawal agreement, UK citizens will lose freedom of movement in the EU and related economic rights which will affect 700,000 people according to a recent BritishinEurope poll. This is all despite promises from both May and Barnier that our everyday lives would be unaffected.
“At this moment, the only defenders of our rights are the European Parliament and its MPs. Both the British government and the European Commision have used citizens as bargaining chips in the negotiations. Currently, UKinEU citizens' rights to freedom of movement in the EU-27 are being withheld by the Commission in return for concessions from the UK."
Silvia González López, spokesperson for the 3Million, the Association of Europeans in the UK, noted that despite the negotiators’ claim that the rights of EU and UK citizens have been dealt with, a very large number of important questions, affecting the lives of nearly 4.5 million people, still remain unclear or simply not covered. Registration procedures are a particular concern. Rights of return and family reunion are still unresolved. The 3Million has sent 150 questions to the UK Home Office seeking answers but has so far not received any response.
“Two years later and still in limbo”
Jochen Müller, acting deputy director of the European Commission Office in Spain, countered that the EU Member States considered that enough progress was made in the area of citizens’ rights to allow the discussions to progress to other outstanding issues. He affirmed that citizens' rights had been 'guaranteed'. The Withdrawal Agreement covers a number of fundamental areas of importance for citizens’ rights such as healthcare and pensions. However, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and further scope remains for any questions not yet discussed.
“The four freedoms are indivisible: freedom of movement of capital, goods and services go hand in hand with the freedom of movement of people. This is a basic principle which cannot be altered”
Camilla Hillier-Fry, Vice-president of EuroCitizens who chaired the discussion, asserted that “the loss of freedom of movement, or of residency rights, will have a huge negative impact on education and business, which need to be able to recruit mobile “talent”. Such restrictions impoverish institutions and reduce their competitiveness in a global world”
Alex Luzárraga, VP of Corporate Strategy at Amadeus, considered Brexit more emotional than rational, especially regarding EU immigration. While not disputing that there will be a Brexit, he believes that both sides will negotiate to avoid its more damaging aspects as regards citizens, workers, education and business.
“Businesses in both the UK and the EU must continue to have access to the best qualified and most talented people, if they are to remain competitive”
Andy Mackay, Director of The British Council in Spain, reminded the audience that over 12.000 Spanish students are currently studying at UK universities and 30,000 are doing language courses there. However, preoccupations remain concerning topics such as Erasmus+ and the recognition of qualifications. The main risk is one of no agreement and a subsequent crashing out.
“The ties between Spain and the UK concerning education and culture have always been very close. There is no doubt that both the UK and Spain want to agree as quickly as possible on ways to make sure this does not change in future”
Dra. Elena Conde, tenured Professor of international public law at the Complutense University of Madrid, thinks that the main threat is the loss of mobility of talent and excellence. It will be harder for the EU to contract UK talent, and if the UK wants to attract EU academics and researchers it will need to assuage their feelings that foreigners are no longer welcome in the UK.
“Divorces generate fears, uncertainties and bad omens, for those both directly and indirectly involved. Our world is based on a desire for security but, in reality, any time in the future need not necessarily be worse than a time in the past”
José Domingo Roselló, economist in the Technical Department of UGT (General Workers’ Union), hoped that Brexit would not become a pretext for reducing the level of employee protection particularly in the UK after it leaves the EU, but also for British workers in the EU. Immigration is part of the modern world, in which we all share the same geographical, political and economic space.
“Speaking as a trade unionist, one of our principal concerns regarding Brexit is that it should not be used as an excuse for lowering working conditions, either for UK workers or EU workers”
Mark Kitcatt, President of Impala, the European Association of Independent Music Companies, feared that Brexit will add enormous costs and administrative burdens to the world of art, music and culture, all major UK exports. It also implies the abdication of the UK from its position of influence in the media, thought and culture.
“The closer we get to the cut-off date the more clearly we can see what freedom of movement really means for ordinary people, for local and global economies, and for the exchange of culture, history, art and ideas. If this is something that must end, what will replace it? And who will be better off afterwards?”
The round table ended with a lively question and answer session. The interpreter and translator William Clarke pointed out that most UK citizens in the EU had been unable to vote and that after 29/03/18 we would have absolutely no political rights. Jochen Müller replied that voting rights were a competency of member sates and that voting in local elections could be resolved by bilateral agreements.
The writer and journalist Giles Tremlett asked Mr Müller if the EU was also defending the rights of UK citizens in the EU, as we are still European Citizens. He mentioned that he had been present at the first meeting of citizens when Michel Barnier had promised to guarantee our rights in full. Mr Müller said that the UK government had caused this situation by leaving the EU and that we should pressure them and not the Commission.
The writer and teacher David Mathieson complained about our use as bargaining chips by the Commission and said that nobody was defending our interests - we cannot vote in the UK and are thus of no interest to the UK government. Mr Müller denied that UKinEU citizens' rights are being used as leverage in the negotiations.
