Since the Brexit vote in June 2016, a number of studies have looked into the financial and economic impact of Brexit, but there is yet to be a study undertaking a thorough analysis of the consequences of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU for citizens’ rights. With more than 3 million EU citizens resident in the UK and over 1 million UK citizens residing in other Member States, whose rights in those countries will be directly affected, there is a great deal of uncertainty about their future legal status.
As part of its mission to empower citizens to exercise their rights in the EU, ECAS, in partnership with the EU Rights Clinic, the European Disability Forum and the New Europeans, has considered the impact of Brexit on citizens’ rights under different scenarios compared to the rights that citizens currently enjoy whilst the UK is a full member of the EU. The study analyses in addition the possible repercussions of Brexit for the access of UK-based entities to EU funding streams.
The purpose of the study is to provide citizens with a comprehensive analysis of the potential consequences of Brexit for citizens’ rights and to enable citizens and civil society to advocate for the best possible Brexit for them.
The study has been produced by a team comprised of ECAS Director, Assya Kavrakova, ECAS Membership and Outreach Manager, Marta Pont, and Professor Anthony Valcke at the University of Kent in Brussels and Supervising Solicitor at the EU Rights Clinic, supported by intern Connor Brown from the University of Sheffield. New Europeans and the European Disability Forum have contributed, respectively, to the analysis on voting rights and on non-discrimination rights.
Access the policy digest (a translation will be soon available in DE, ES, FR, IT, PL and RO)