Post-Brexit Life for Expats in Luxembourg
On November 27, the British Embassy in Luxembourg co-hosted a Brexit and Citizens’ Rights event for expats living in the Grand Duchy. During the event, the embassy confirmed that, the Withdrawal agreement covers any British nationals currently living in Luxembourg, including their family members living here even if nonnationals. This also covers future children and family members residing abroad, assuming the relationship existed before December 31, 2020.
For those individuals, the right to remain in Luxembourg will only be lost if you persistently reside outside of the country. You retain the right to permanently remain in the country if you have lived here the past five years. If not, you can remain until you reach that five-year mark and earn the same rights. So, the key is that you live in Luxembourg when the implementation period concludes.
Employees and independent workers who fall under the scope of the Withdrawal agreement are guaranteed their current pension and social security rights.
Many questions still remain, and we will keep you posted.
Latest Brexit Updates
It has been a busy week for Brexit stakeholders.
Europe, specifically the Conference of Presidents and Brexit Steering Group, has made it clear that the current withdrawal agreement is nonnegotiable. Europe sees it as the only possible solution.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has had a difficult time convincing her compatriots to view it the same way. Since the agreement was finalized on November 14, conservatives have loudly voiced their disapproval. Work and pension secretary Esther McVey and Brexit secretary Dominic Raab have gone so far as to step down from their roles.
One ongoing sticking point is the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. In order to prevent a hard border between the two, Northern Ireland would need to stay integrated in EU customs and single market laws and thereby separate from the rest of the UK, an outcome with which the DUP and London would not be satisfied. On the other hand, if it sticks to the same process and protocol that the rest of the UK will face, it will be impossible to avoid a hard-border scenario.
Escaping a no-confidence outcome
Theresa May has survived Wednesday evening’s confidence vote by a safe margin. The vote was demanded by members of her own party when 15% of them (48 individuals) sent in letters requesting it. Conservative lawmakers ultimately supported the PM. She received 200 votes, 41 more than needed to survive, and is now safe for another year.
In her final plea, May promised her peers that she would step down before the 2022 election, viewing herself as overseer of the Brexit process.
Although there are numerous points with which lawmakers take issue, generally, they are bothered by the PM’s perceived willingness to accept an allegedly subpar deal after historically declaring “no deal is better than a bad deal.
Delaying the vote
On Monday, May left many annoyed and surprised when she delayed a vote on the deal reached with the EU. Her reason? She believed that its rejection would be inevitable. Instead, she announced that they would pursue further negotiations. The EU, however, has since made clear that the time for negotiations is over.
On Thursday, May and her team headed to Brussels to focus on the Brexit backstop, which ensures that Northern Ireland remains in the single market and customs union if no agreement is reached. Not much came out of the meeting, aside from the consensus that more clarification is needed.
While the backstop is seen by both sides as a last resort, a sort of safety net, it could have huge repercussions. Variations of the idea – such as having the backstop apply to the entire UK or come with an expiration date, have been rejected by the EU. On the other side, the UK refuses to tie Northern Ireland to EU rules for the foreseeable future.
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