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‘Dismayed, disgusted, disenfranchised’: UK election result leaves Brits in Italy in mourning

Brits across Italy on Friday spoke of their shock, sadness and concern over the UK general election result, which saw a huge victory for Boris Johnson and the pro-Brexit Conservatives.

Published: 13 December 2019 12:10 CET
Updated: 13 December 2019 17:31 CET
'Dismayed, disgusted, disenfranchised': UK election result leaves Brits in Italy in mourning
The UK election resulted in a victory for Boris Johnson's Conservatives. Photo: Daniel Sorabji/AFP

Johnson is to return to Downing Street with a large majority after Thursday’s vote, which was dominated by the question of how, when and if the UK's exit from the European Union should proceed. 

The victorious prime minister insisted on Friday he would do everything to “get Brexit done” by January 31st. Brexit, he said, was now the “irrefutable, irresistible, unarguable will of the British people”.

READ ALSO: 'Go Boris go': How Italian politicians reacted to UK election result

For many Brits living in Europe, that was hard to comprehend. The Local's readers expressed sadness, shock and anger that the UK – or at least England and Wales – had effectively voted for Brexit once again.

“I feel like I’m total out of touch with the British people, I’m confused and can’t get my head around that landslide result,” said one Brit in Rome, Sarah Iball.

“Fighting for the UK to stay in the EU finished this morning, they will leave and now I’m not even sure that I can say it will be the worst thing for the UK anymore because I really don’t know anything and last night it proved it.”

Lia Borrutzu put it simply: “Dismayed; disgusted; disheartened; disenfranchised.”

REMINDER: What the Brexit deal means for Brits in Italy


Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

“It's a devastating morning for all of us – we know that people are shocked and angry and hurting, as we are ourselves after three and a half years of campaigning,” Kalba Meadows from British in Europe told The Local.

“Yesterday there was still a glimmer of hope that we might remain in the EU; today that's gone – it's a true Friday the 13th. So today is a day to mourn and take stock.”

But Meadows and others who have been sticking up for the rights of Britons in Europe have stressed there is at least something positive to take from Boris Johnson's win. Much of the uncertainty that has blighted the lives of many and impacted the health of some will soon come to an end.

READ ALSO:

“There is some not-so-bad news too – our future rights will now be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, and we no longer have the spectre of a no-deal Brexit that has kept us up at night for so long,” she said.

“It's not perfect – we lose our voting rights and our right to free movement for example – but it's lifetime protection of the majority of the rights we have now, and it'll stand even if the government doesn't reach a trade deal with the EU. And of course there will be no change for us until the end of the transition period.”

That transition period is due to end in December 2020 – just 12 months from now – though it could be extended, despite Boris Johnson having vowed otherwise.

Some UK citizens in Europe were grateful that they could now at least look forward. Many spoke of the steps they will now take to secure their future in the EU, even if meant having to overcome some bureaucratic and linguistic hurdles.

Mary Hartley said: “This is a very sad day for me, I honestly did not believe that it would come to this but that’s made my mind up to go for dual nationality.”

OPINION: 'Nothing can stop Brexit now, we will all feel foreign on February 1st'

Not everyone is eligible for citizenship, however. And the uncertainty extends to the hundreds of thousands of Italians living in the UK, as dual national Teresa Lavender pointed out.

“My parents are Italian and have been living in England since 1964, that's 55 years,” she recounted. “My parents now have to apply for Settled Status after all these years, having paid all their taxes, national insurance etc. Their children were born here (me and my sister), they now even have grandchildren! The UK will lose out big time when we come out, thanks for nothing.”

Yet a few of our readers insisted that all the difficulties would be worth it. Mary Clare Granger described herself as “delighted” with the election result, “even though I have to find a way to stay in Italy”. 

But for many Brits in the EU, the bigger questions over where to call home are far from settled. 

“It’s obvious the British people want Brexit for one reason or another. Fine, have it, but what are Britain, Italy and the EU going to do with all us disenfranchised people?” asked Julie Blint.

“I beg them not to abandon us. I wish to belong, please make it easier for us to do that.”

What should Brits living in Italy do now?

Brits in Italy should make sure they are registered as a resident with their local anagrafe (registry office), change their driving licence and have qualifications recognized. 

In the case of a deal, Brits who meet the criteria will also have until the end of the transition period (likely December 2020 but that could be extended) to apply for Italian citizenship, and they'll still be able to keep their British citizenship. 

Member comments

  1. I for one am relieved that the UK has found its voice and that it is the voice of the majority. The last three years were disgracefully controlled by anti-democrats and muddled thinking. The country knows where it is and where it wants to be.
    I love Italy and a great part of me wants to return to live there (I did for 7 years in the past) and I may well decide to return and cope with the ridiculous bureaucracy in order to do so. I have a few months to decide but I am crystal clear that the UK now can, given good governance, zoom ahead and embrace the world in all senses and retake its long held independence and individuality.

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DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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