• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Exclusive: Campaigners file case to prove Withdrawal Agreement cannot remove EU citizenship

The news comes as over 140,000 people register their desire to retain EU citizenship on a specially designed website.

Oliver Murphy by Oliver Murphy
2020-04-27 13:49
in Politics
Photo: PA

Photo: PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A group of campaigners have filed a case in the General Court of the European Union in a bid to retain EU citizenship post-Brexit, TLE can reveal.

The case, which is being brought against the Council of the EU, argues that all UK citizens who were legally defined as EU citizens on 31 January 2020 should retain citizenship regardless of the UK’s departure from the European Union.

It adds that while Withdrawal Agreement has resulted in the UK’s departure from the bloc, the fundamental status of UK citizens as EU residents, and the rights such a status confers, cannot be removed without their consent. 

Dr Alexandra von Westernhagen one of the lawyers acting for the group, said: “Our case is formally an action partially to annul the decision of the EU Council of Ministers of 30 January 2020 which approved the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement insofar as it deprives the applicants, without their consent and without due process, of their status as EU citizens and their rights resulting from that status.

“The case asks what is the nature of the EU itself: is it a Union for its member states only? Or is it also a Union for and between the people of Europe? This is a fundamental question for all 515 million EU citizens and everybody else who believes in the idea of an international, value-based citizenship.”

Retain EU citizenship

The case is not intended to challenge the legality of Brexit. But if successful, UK citizens would retain their rights as EU citizens in areas such as the the right to live and work in member states. 

Asked to comment, the European Commission responded: “We take note of the intention to begin legal proceedings.” 

RelatedPosts

Reporter asks Johnson: ‘You must be furious with whoever signed this deal’

Johnson: Yes I agreed to NI Protocol, but I didn’t think the EU would implement it!

Flashback to when David Frost received a dressing down in Northern Ireland over Brexit and the Protocol

Latest Parliament catering prices show MPs are still drinking the cheapest pints in London

It comes as over 140,000 people have registered their desire to retain EU citizenship on a specially designed website created by Professor Joshua Silver, one of the lead campaigners.

Individual citizens’ rights and European citizenship are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EUCFR), the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 9 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). 

Citizenship in addition to nationality

According to Article 20 of the Treaty of Lisbon, EU citizenship is additional to nationality. Presently, there are no provisions for removing citizenship and its associated rights from individuals, regardless of whether their nation leaves the EU.

The issue of citizens’ rights and the opposition amongst those concerned about losing their rights was recognised in a Resolution passed on 15 January by the European Parliament on implementing provisions on citizens’ rights in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Commenting on the case, DAC Beachcroft partner Stephen Hocking, said: “In the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU council purported to remove fundamental individual rights from a group of citizens of the European Union, namely UK nationals, without any due process and without any reference to them. In doing so it acted unlawfully.

“EU citizenship is a citizenship like any other, and it confers individual rights on citizens that cannot be taken away by an agreement between governments.”

The campaigners are expected to hear in the next couple of weeks from the Registry of the Court which will serve the application on the defendant, which, in this case, is the Council of Ministers.

The defendant then has two months to lodge its defence with the Court. 

The case is being supported by crowdfunding, which can be found online here.

Tags: headline
Please login to join discussion

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Trump’s Turnberry firm paid over £50k by US government to cover weekend stay at loss-making resort

Watch: Gavin Williamson slammed for ’embarrassing’ response to ‘paltry’ education funding

Violent volcanic eruption on the other side of the world led to Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo

Boris Johnson constituent goes viral after she calls him a ‘filthy piece of toerag’

Labour spent £95k on Hartlepool by-election, which it lost

Privacy campaigners criticise Met Police launch of facial recognition technology

Brexit could risk the hard fought sovereignty of the Falklands Islands, Westminster warned

Brexit could signal the end of the British union

Ed Sheeran failed music college

London’s Best New Restaurant Openings – July 2017

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.