No deal 'more likely by the day'

Britain and France have given some reassurances to the effect that British people would not immediately lose key rights, however at this late stage former French Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau recently said there is little point in attempting formalities like a carte de séjour application or driving licence swap if you have not done so by now. (It is still, however, advisable to gather relevant paperwork so as to be able to apply later on.)

France has promised a ‘grace period’, probably of a year, in which to apply for a residency card as a non-EU citizen and also an unspecified time period in which to swap a UK licence for a French one.

We have more on this topic of no-deal in our April edition of The Connexion newspaper available in newsagents in France or as a download at this link.

This comes as EU negotiator Michel Barnier has said no-deal is ‘more likely by the day’. With British MPs repeatedly voting against all other avenues, the country still faces a no-deal by default in 10 days’ time.

An emergency summit of the EU Council – including leaders of the 27 other states – is planned for April 10, to hold final discussions on Brexit.

The EU had said if the negotiated deal was accepted Brexit day would have become May 22; the other alternative to no-deal is a long extension, including taking part in the EU elections, due to a decision on some other course of action such as a referendum or general election in order for Britain to rethink its strategy.

This would have to be agreed by all 27 members of the council unanimously.