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BREXIT

‘I’m still holding out for a people’s vote’: The Brexit reaction from Germany

Brexit is dominating the news in Europe, including in Germany. Here's the reaction to the latest developments.

Published: 15 November 2018 09:25 CET
Updated: 15 November 2018 13:21 CET
'I'm still holding out for a people's vote': The Brexit reaction from Germany
Photo: Depositphotos/JEGAS RA
German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass welcomed the Brexit deal on Thursday.
 
He tweeted: I'm very happy about the preliminary deal, even if I regret Brexit as such. We and the other member states will have to take a careful look at the wording and then decide on it in the European Council.”
“We want to preserve the closest possible ties with our British friends. What's important for us is that Brexit doesn't affect the rules of the common market. It's a central achievement of the European project.”
 
The near 600-page draft, negotiated with Brussels, covers citizens' rights, concerns over Northern Ireland, and plans for a post-Brexit transition period during which both sides hope to agree a new trade deal.
 
However, the situation is still developing as British Prime Minister Theresa May was trying to sell her Brexit deal to parliament on Thursday, boosted by news that Europe is preparing a rapid summit to sign off on the agreement.

 
Two ministers, including Brexit minister Dominic Raab, have resigned in protest against the agreement.
 
“The man who handled the Brexit draft himself has stepped down precisely because of this deal. Welcome to UK politics 2018,” tweeted ARD Brussels correspondent Markus Preiß.

 
Right to work outside the EU 'not addressed'

 
Business owner Rob Harrison, of the group British in Germany, said he sensed both the British and German press were “sceptical” about the deal, but he added: “At least there is a degree of certainty about the rights of citizens.
 
 
“However, the right to work outside the host country for UK citizens does not seem to be addressed which could be a problem for Britons working for multinational firms.
 
“The right to move on to another EU country after living in Germany is also not addressed – although the UK government's memorandum on the Agreement says that this point will be addressed in a future agreement.
 
“Germany and other European companies would be happy to see that a customs union and in effect many other parts of the single market will continue to be in place for some time.”
 
Harrison, who has lived in Bavaria since 1990, said this gives a “degree of confidence that business can continue”.
 
“I think that the German government will generally be happy as all parties have been clear that preservation of the single market has been one of their priorities,” he added.
 
Harrison said that he still hoped Brits could have a final say.
 
“I’m still hoping that a people's vote will be called on the deal so that voters can have a say on this agreement, whether to leave the EU with no deal or whether to stay in the EU.”

SEE MORE: OPINION – It's time to ringfence citizens' rights before Brexit

Follow what Brits throughout Europe think of Brexit on our live blog.

'The best we can expect'

Bernd Hüttemann, vice president of the European Movement and Secretary General of its German council, which specializes in European affairs, said the deal was “the best that we can expect given the circumstances of what's going on in the UK”.
 
He said: “From the EU side of things I think that they did everything right. I'm quite impressed by the 27 countries sticking together with the commission leading it and I don't see any mistakes on that part.”
 
Thinking about Brexit generally, Hüttemann used the German word fremdschämen to sum it up. That word is used to describe the process of feeling embarrassed on the behalf of others.
 
“It's sad. There's a great German word that I'd use: fremdschämen,” he said.
 
“But it is really sad because people will suffer who don't know why it's happening or who want it to happen.
 
“The ones who make the whole thing so difficult won't suffer. I think overall that businesses, politicians and everyone else in Germany is asking: what the hell is going on there.
 
“Everyone hopes at least that Britain can stay inside the internal market, the customs union.”
 
Hüttemann added that he felt no concern on the future of Europe.
 
“I look back at the time where everyone was saying the EU would fall apart after the Brexit vote and that has not taken place. The opinion polls show people are even more in favour of the EU thanks to Brexit and maybe a little bit because of Trump,” he said.
 
No 'all-clear signal': Reaction of politics and industry
 
German chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her satisfaction with the proposal on Thursday, despite turbulance involved drafting it
 
“I am very happy that, after lengthy and not always easy negotiations, a proposal could be reached,” Merkel said of the draft while at a cabinet retreat in Potsdam.
 
 
Vice-Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) stressed that he regretted the “unchanged” British decision to leave the EU.It was “obvious” that the debates in Britain would “not be easy,” he said.
 
“Nevertheless, all we can really do is shout: The worst thing that can happen is disorderly development. This is not good for citizens, nor for the economic outlook.”
 
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) also was worried about the situation in Britain. “There is no all-clear signal,” said BDI Chief Executive Joachim Lang told DPA. The ratification of the initially reasonable outcome of the negotiations is now very uncertain, Lang said.
 
With additional reporting by Rachel Stern and DPA.

Member comments

  1. “We want to preserve the closest possible ties with our British friends. What’s important for us is that Brexit doesn’t affect the rules of the common market“. The UK voted to remain in the common market. What it did not vote for was to join the EU. There are the ‘ties’ that were imposed on the UK, behind closed doors, which is why Brexit happened. The UK looks forward to friendship, commerce and diplomacy with all other nations. No ties, thanks.

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BREXIT

OPINION: Pre-Brexit Brits in Europe should be given EU long-term residency

The EU has drawn up plans to make it easier for non-EU citizens to gain longterm EU residency so they can move more easily around the bloc, but Italy-based citizens' rights campaigner Clarissa Killwick says Brits who moved to the EU before Brexit are already losing out.

Published: 8 December 2023 14:34 CET
OPINION: Pre-Brexit Brits in Europe should be given EU long-term residency

With all the talk about the EU long-term residency permit and the proposed improvements there is no mention that UK citizens who are Withdrawal Agreement “beneficiaries” are currently being left out in the cold.

The European Commission has stated that we can hold multiple statuses including the EU long-term permit (Under a little-known EU law, third-country nationals can in theory acquire EU-wide long-term resident status if they have lived ‘legally’ in an EU country for at least five years) but in reality it is just not happening.

This effectively leaves Brits locked into their host countries while other third country nationals can enjoy some mobility rights. As yet, in Italy, it is literally a question of the computer saying no if someone tries to apply.

The lack of access to the EU long-term permit to pre-Brexit Brits is an EU-wide issue and has been flagged up to the European Commission but progress is very slow.

READ ALSO: EU government settle on rules for how non-EU citizens could move around Europe

My guess is that few UK nationals who already have permanent residency status under the Withdrawal Agreement are even aware of the extra mobility rights they could have with the EU long-term residency permit – or do not even realise they are two different things.

Perhaps there won’t be very large numbers clamouring for it but it is nothing short of discrimination not to make it accessible to British people who’ve built their lives in the EU.

They may have lost their status as EU citizens but nothing has changed concerning the contributions they make, both economically and socially.

An example of how Withdrawal Agreement Brits in Italy are losing out

My son, who has lived almost his whole life here, wanted to study in the Netherlands to improve his employment prospects.

Dutch universities grant home fees rather than international fees to holders of an EU long-term permit. The difference in fees for a Master’s, for example, is an eye-watering €18,000. He went through the application process, collecting the requisite documents, making the payments and waited many months for an appointment at the “questura”, (local immigration office).

On the day, it took some persuading before they agreed he should be able to apply but then the whole thing was stymied because the national computer system would not accept a UK national. I am in no doubt, incidentally, that had he been successful he would have had to hand in his WA  “carta di soggiorno”.

This was back in February 2022 and nothing has budged since then. In the meantime, it is a question of pay up or give up for any students in the same boat as my son. There is, in fact, a very high take up of the EU long-term permit in Italy so my son’s non-EU contemporaries do not face this barrier.

Long-term permit: The EU’s plan to make freedom of movement easier for non- EU nationals 

Completing his studies was stalled by a year until finally his Italian citizenship came through after waiting over 5 years.  I also meet working adults in Italy with the EU long-term permit who use it for work purposes, such as in Belgium and Germany, and for family reunification.  

Withdrawal agreement card should double up as EU long-term residency permit

A statement that Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries should be able to hold multiple statuses is not that easy to find. You have to scroll quite far down the page on the European Commission’s website to find a link to an explanatory document. It has been languishing there since March 2022 but so far not proved very useful.

It has been pointed out to the Commission that the document needs to be multilingual not just in English and “branded” as an official communication from the Commission so it can be used as a stand-alone. But having an official document you can wave at the immigration authorities is going to get you nowhere if Member State governments haven’t acknowledged that WA beneficiaries can hold multiple statuses and issue clear guidance and make sure systems are modified accordingly.

I can appreciate this is no mean feat in countries where they do not usually allow multiple statuses or, even if they do, issue more than one residency card. Of course, other statuses we should be able to hold are not confined to EU long-term residency, they should include the EU Blue Card, dual nationality, family member of an EU citizen…

Personally, I do think people should be up in arms about this. The UK and EU negotiated an agreement which not only removed our freedom of movement as EU citizens, it also failed to automatically give us equal mobility rights to other third country nationals. We are now neither one thing nor the other.

It would seem the only favour the Withdrawal Agreement did us was we didn’t have to go out and come back in again! Brits who follow us, fortunate enough to get a visa, may well pip us at the post being able to apply for EU long-term residency as clearly defined non-EU citizens.

I have been bringing this issue to the attention of the embassy in Rome, FCDO and the European Commission for three years now. I hope we will see some movement soon.

Finally, there should be no dragging of heels assuming we will all take citizenship of our host countries. Actually, we shouldn’t have to, my son was fortunate, even though it took a long time. Others may not meet the requirements or wish to give up their UK citizenship in countries which do not permit dual nationality.  

Bureaucratic challenges may seem almost insurmountable but why not simply allow our Withdrawal Agreement permanent card to double up as the EU long-term residency permit.

Clarissa Killwick,

Since 2016, Clarissa has been a citizens’ rights campaigner and advocate with the pan-European group, Brexpats – Hear Our Voice.
She is co-founder and co-admin of the FB group in Italy, Beyond Brexit – UK citizens in Italy.

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