Tribune. As countless travelers from the UK who have been denied entry into the European Union (EU) on New Years have been shocked to discover, the most dramatic consequence of Brexit is the loss of European citizenship for the British.
On December 31, 2020, 67 million British nationals lost the right to settle and work in the EU and in other countries. Likewise, EU citizens have lost these rights in UK territories. It is the greatest loss of rights that we can remember.
Indeed, it was more than forty years that British citizens on a business or tourist trip or established in continental Europe had the status of European nationals in their host countries. The same was true of EU citizens who had settled in the UK over the years. This is the very essence of European citizenship: the right not to be discriminated against and therefore treated as a national in each Member State of the Union, whatever their nationality.
A terrible blow to the rights of all British people
Unsurprisingly, the value of the UK passport has plummeted from the top 10 to a much lower place: the rights attached to it are now comparable to those of Argentinian and Brazilian nationalities. Granted, travelers from the UK are, for the time being, still allowed to travel to EU countries visa-free for a maximum of 90 days, every 180 days.
However, this right is not unconditional. Let’s face it: the promise of equality and dignity unconditionally enjoyed by holders of British nationality has, since Brexit, been restricted to the sole territory of the British Isles, while it extended to ‘in December 2020, to almost the entire European continent. The status of British citizen after Brexit in Europe is now equivalent to that of a Chinese tourist, with the difference that the territory and the economy of the United Kingdom are not comparable to those of China.
It is a terrible blow to the rights of all Britons, whether they are the millions of citizens whose lives are already closely linked to the European continent or those who will never have this opportunity. But instead of railing against the UK’s decision to leave the EU, it’s time to think about limiting the damage caused by this sudden and unprecedented loss of rights.
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