Lords to question Polish and Romanian Ambassadors on rights of EU citizens post Brexit
The House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee, under the Chairmanship of Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, will continue its short inquiry into the consequences of Brexit for the rights currently enjoyed in the UK by EU citizens and workers on Tuesday 18 October. The Committee will hear evidence from the Polish and Romanian Ambassadors to the UK.
Approximately three million citizens of the other 27 EU Member States reside in the UK and about 1.2 million UK nationals live in another EU Member State. All of these EU citizens are now at risk of losing legal entitlements which membership to the European Union protects, such as the right to work, live, vote and retire in another Member State. As two of the largest EU based ethnic communities in the UK, many Polish and Romanian expats face great uncertainty for their futures.
With a lack of clarity still remaining on what interests the government would seek to protect as the UK's exit from the European Union is negotiated, in this session, the Committee will further explore the extent to which the rights of those who have been living in the UK will be safeguarded.
The House of Lords EU Committee and its six Sub-Committees are conducting a coordinated series of short inquiries looking at the key issues that will arise in the forthcoming negotiations on Brexit. Taken as a whole, this programme of work will be the most extensive and thorough parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit.
At 10:45am the Committee will hear evidence from:
- HE Dan Mihalache, the Ambassador of Romania to the Court of St. James's
- HE Arkady Rzegocki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Court of St. James's
The Committee is likely to ask:
- How many UK nationals are exercising their EU rights to live, work or study in Poland and Romania?
- What do the Ambassadors see as the main contributions that Polish and Romanian nationals have made to the UK since joining the EU?
- What concerns do Polish and Romanian nationals living in the UK have about the UK's departure from the EU?
- Would the Governments of Poland and Romania wish to see the UK adopt legislation granting all lawfully resident EU citizens in the UK a permanent right to reside once the UK leaves the EU?
The evidence session will take place at 10:45am on Tuesday 18 October in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords.
