EU Brexit negotiator 'determined' to secure citizenship rights

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told a delegation of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in Europe that he hopes to have an agreement in principle to secure their future by the end of the year.

However, Barnier said he believed it would be late 2018 before he could strike a deal with the UK on the details, such as the rights of relatives who wish to be reunited with their families living abroad.

Jane Golding, a lawyer living in Germany who has been involved in a coalition of 12 groups across mainland Europe seeking to secure rights for Britons in the EU, said she was pleased with Barnier’s message.

“We were very happy to find that we are the No 1 priority in the negotiations ahead of budget and borders,” she said. “He explained to us what the process would be, and he said he would see the principles on citizenship rights agreed by the end of this year and that would leave the whole of next year to agree the details. That’s the complex part.”

Representatives of British citizens in Germany, Luxembourg and Spain took part in the meeting on Tuesday, which lasted over half an hour, as did Anne-Laure Donskoy, of the3million group which represents nationals from the other 27 member states living in the UK.

Donskoy said: “We are asking at the end of the day for our rights to be ringfenced from the rest of the negotiations. I did ask him whether he felt optimistic or not and he said: ‘I’m neither optimistic or pessimistic, I’m determined.’”

The meeting in Brussels comes two weeks after the House of Commons rejected an amendment to the article 50 bill which sought to guarantee an early deal on the rights of EU citizens in the UK.

On Monday, David Davis was put on the spot on BBC Question Time when an audience member told him to do the “decent thing” and unilaterally guarantee the right of EU citizens to remain in the UK after Brexit.

The person said: “I work in the NHS. Across the NHS about 5% of all clinical posts are currently unfilled, 5% of all NHS nurses are from the EU and 10% of doctors.”

Davis said EU citizens living in the UK “should not worry” about being told to leave.

Separately, the3million, the grassroots campaign fighting to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK has written to Theresa May telling her the millions of French, German, Spanish and other Europeans settled in the UK “cannot face another two years of uncertainty and anxiety”.

They have renewed their call for the rights of EU citizens to be taken off the negotiating table at the earliest possible junction. “We are asking your government and the European Union to jointly shoulder responsibility and decouple citizens’ rights from the main negotiations so we can get resolution and peace of mind,” they wrote.

It added that Brexit had made it a “very difficult” time for both the 3 million in the UK and the 1.2 million British nationals settled in the EU.

Nicholas Hatton, co-chair of the group, told the Guardian: “The prime minister should back up her promises with action and deliver an early standalone deal guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals. Legal experts agree a separate deal is possible, so the ball is in the politicians’ court.”

A group representing Britons in Europe, Expat Citizen Rights in EU, (Ecreu), said it was “incumbent upon our government to make sure British citizens living in the EU do not suffer any disadvantage or loss of rights simply to score political points and that citizens’ rights are not used as currency in any ‘trade-off’”.

Dave Spokes, one of the founders, warned May that many Ecreu members have made it very clear that they don’t trust the government. “The government should understand that we will not sit back and hope it all turns out right in the end. We will be watching every move and will not hesitate to hold ministers and others to account,” he said.