UPDATE: HOW TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN VOTE IN MAY

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After intense lobbying by EuroCitizens and other British in Europe groups, the UK and Spanish governments signed a bilateral agreement last Monday, 21 January, which allows British citizens in Spain and Spanish citizens in the UK to continue to vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

In the case of UK citizens, for the next elections to be held on 26 May,  you must

- have been legally resident in Spain for at least three years,

- be registered on the Padrón

- and be registered on the electoral roll (Censo Electoral) before 30 January (i.e. next Wednesday).

Theoretically, you should not have to do anything if you are already registered as a foreign voter. However, over the period since the last election, people can be dropped from the Roll for many different reasons, including but not limited to a change of address or municipality. To be absolutely sure of being able to vote in this year's municpal elections, you may want to re-register. To do this, download the DFA form available on many websites, such as:

https://www.villarejodesalvanes.es/images/tramites%20sin%20certificado/MODELO%20CERE.pdf

Fill the form in, take it to the Padrón section of your local Town Hall and ask for a stamped copy. This should make sure you are registered as a voter or enable you to appeal against exclusion if you are left off the Roll which is due to be published in February.

EUROCITIZENS WELCOMES THE SPAIN/UK TREATY ON POLITICAL RIGHTS

Photo: UK Embassy Madrid

21/01/19 This morning the Spanish and British governments signed a bilateral treaty which will guarantee after Brexit the political rights in local elections of Spaniards in the UK and Britons in Spain. EuroCitizens would like to thank the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores and the British Embassy in Madrid for all their hard work in negotiating this agreement  in such a short time. It will preserve at least some of the political rights of Britons in Spain and, as well as voting, will allow for communities with large British populations to elect councillors to represent them.

We hope that this level of cooperation can be replicated in other bilateral treaties, to safeguard our rights and those of Spaniards in the UK even in the unfortunate event of a no-deal Brexit. This deal should also serve as an example to other EU-27 countries to maintain political rights in local elections for both groups of citizens affected. Finally, we hope that this agreement will encourage MPs at Westminster to support the private members' bill currently going through the Commons, which will restore voting rights in general elections for Britons who have lived outside the UK for more than fifteen years.

To make sure that you can stand or vote in the Spanish municipal elections this May, go along to your Town Hall and check that you are on the electoral roll. The deadline is Tuesday 30 January. Don't miss it!

Information about the censo electoral :  http://www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?c=Page&p=1254735788988&pagename=CensoElectoral%2FINELayout&cid=1254735788988&L=1

Also see information on the Embassy website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain#voting

THE NO-DEAL CONTINGENCY PLANS OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT FOR UK CITIZENS

After a cabinet meeting last Friday, 11 January 2019, the Spanish government announced their contingency plans for Spanish and British citizens affected by Brexit. EuroCitizens welcomes this move and eagerly looks forward to seeing the measures, which will be published on a government website (see link below).

The government has been working for some time on plans for a no-deal Brexit, both in the area of commerce and of citizens. Three kinds of measures will be taken:

- legislative action: a bill (Decreto Ley) in February to enable changes to be made to current laws and additional measures added
- logistical action: additional resources in areas such as customs and immigration
- communication: a website to provide information for citizens and businesses affected

Government spokeswoman Isabel Celaá gave a strong message of reassurance to all concerned that, even in the undesirable event of a no-deal Brexit, measures have been taken to avoid dislocation for both people and companies. 
The government announced that they will 'broadly preserve the rights of citizens who took their decisions believing in the European Project'. This will affect legal British residents in Spain whose rights to live and work will be guaranteed as will their healthcare and social security benefits. Political rights in local elections, for both Spaniards in the UK and Britons in Spain, will be protected via a bilateral agreement that is being worked on by both governments and would give citizens the right to vote and stand as councillors.

EuroCitizens and other British in Europe groups in Spain need to analyse the specific measures that are taken before we can evaluate them. However, this is another very positive move forward after previous declarations from minister Borrell and Prime Minister Sánchez that a cliff-edge for citizens will definitely be avoided. Remember that this protection will only be valid for legally registered Britons and that, if you are not fully registered, do so as soon as possible. 

Link to Spanish Govt website:   

http://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/brexit/howtoprepare/Paginas/20190110pre-spain.aspx