Brexit updates - December 2018

A woman from the north-west who was refused a carte de séjour because her small business had a low, irregular turnover due to ill health, is fighting the decision with an appeal supported by ecas.org, a Brussels-based rights organisation.

An Interior Ministry source said the ministry favours “a maximum of flexibility for the British” on residency rules after Brexit but the prime minister will have the final say.

Connexion spoke to a widow served an order to leave France due to her having lived on benefits (see November issue) and therefore having a carte de séjour refused. She has now returned to the UK.

The British Embassy has Brexit outreach meetings at Annecy on December 3 (tinyurl.com/ycog48l6) and at Dijon on December 10 (tinyurl.com/y7yuryn2).

Freedom of movement and its importance to Britons in the EU is the subject of a study by Brexit Brits Abroad, a British project looking at the impacts of Brexit on Britons across the EU. See tinyurl.com/ycnfjsn3.

Members of the British in Europe coalition joined the3million group for EU27 citizens in the UK for the Last Mile citizens’ lobby in Westminster and handed a letter to 10 Downing Street (tinyurl.com/y8uux2to) after forming a human chain from Parliament Square. UK MPs from all main parties spoke in support – as well as French Senator Olivier Cadic, who has asked the French to guarantee the citizens’ rights agreement for British people in France.

The General Court of the EU was set to rule on Novem­ber 26 on French barrister Julien Fouchet’s case on behalf of Britons in the EU, including veteran Harry Shindler. It calls into question the legality of the Brexit negotiations due to the exclusion of long-term expatriates from the referendum.

There was also to be a hearing in the European Court of Justice on November 27 about whether the UK can withdraw unilaterally and unconditionally from the Brexit process.

The UK government has sought leave to appeal this to the Supreme Court.

Mr Fouchet has also been seeking to obtain the right for Britons to vote in the EU elections next year, and has written on this at tinyurl.com/ybvqnqw6.

A private member’s bill to end the 15-year limit on Britons abroad voting has completed a period of in-depth ‘committee stage’ scrutiny by MPs. It goes to a report stage at the House of Commons on January 25.

Dr Sue Collard of the Univer­sity of Sussex’s politics department is launching a website, britonsvotingabroad.co.uk, about the bill and the 15-year rule.