Although certain achievements are obvious in terms of guaranteeing Britons rights in the EU27 as well as EU citizen rights in the UK, as the UK-EU joint declaration of December 2017 sets the ground for such further discussions, citizen groups and academics are still highly critical of the results – such criticism was voiced on the EU Parliament’s joint committee hearing on 1 February 2018.
There are many outstanding issues – e.g., the rights of future family members, children’s rights and status, educational rights, procedural aspects, and financial matters in relation to the application procedure to obtain a “settled status” –, which all risk to be forgotten.
There is general push by MEPs to guarantee focus on future rights, children’s rights, and frontier workers. Participants shared the view that the UK position could potentially change (by, for example a new UK government). UK MEPs hope for a “least worst model” between the EU and the UK, post-Brexit.
There is also a common understanding that workers are generally more interested in Brexit than others, and that the current level of uncertainty is disturbing for many people: i.e. families, workers, children. A national authority, with substantial power is important to be established asap.
The registration of EU citizens in the UK is a disturbing fact, as it brings up the question as to when can that start legally? Whatever the EU acquis allows now, will be allowed post-Brexit, too.
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