| Good afternoon, | A new report by researchers, who have spent the last few years monitoring the impact of Brexit on Brits in France and Spain, has caused a stir this week.
The Local reported on the findings in relation to UK nationals in Spain with the conclusion being that the “needs of Britons in Spain are persistently overlooked, denied or dismissed.”
The report adds: “In Spain, these challenges were further exacerbated because the UK and Spanish governments (and UK and Spanish media) still tend to treat UK nationals as “long-term tourists”, even though the classic stereotype of the older, white, retired and working class British expat is well out of date.”
The British Foreign Office is not happy at all with the report and made it clear it did not reflect all the hard work it had done. You can read our full article on it here.
Elsewhere in Europe this week we reported on a study from the citizen’s rights group Remain in France Together (RIFT) who warned of a ‘humanitarian crisis’ for vulnerable British people in France – including pensioners on low incomes and sick and disabled people.
RIFT’s acting chairman Andrew Dewar said: “Because of Brexit and the policies of successive Conservative governments in the UK over the last decade, British residents in France find themselves in a desperate situation.
“Our members worry and live in fear of what the future holds for them. They came to France to live their dream of a better life for themselves and their family within the European Union. Brexit and its consequences now threaten that dream. And for many, they have nothing in the UK to go back to, their home is here in France.”
You can read the full report here.
And we have feature and article from British in Europe’s Kalba Meadows looking at the gaps in the Withdrawal Agreement, and which groups of Brits around Europe might fall through them.
Further north The Swedish government’s proposals for post-Brexit permits for British citizens raise some areas for concern, writes David Milstead, of the Facebook group Brits in Sweden.
The Swedish government has now published proposals for implementing the citizens’ rights provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA). Will it stop the sleepless nights and provide certainty for Brits? Perhaps for most, but certainly not for a while.
The Brits in Sweden group will be submitting a response to the proposal. A few areas of concern are outlined here.
Finally there may be some good news for vulnerable Brits at least in Germany, France, Spain and Italy with the government announcing on Friday it had awarded funding to various charities who will support UK nationals in their bid to secure their futures.
We will be reporting on which charities in which countries qualified for funding and how they plan to help Britons there.
Have a good weekend,
