Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2017-03-01-Speech-1-240-000"
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"en.20170301.21.1-240-000"2
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"Madam President, I think we are all aware that the UK is not the only Member State with issues regarding long-term residence and citizenship. We will discuss the others when the Petitions Committee brings forward their resolution. However, many EU 27 nationals do live in the UK and over a third of them live in my region of London. Some of them are my neighbours. And the lack of certainty over their future is causing huge concern, just as it is for UK nationals living in other Member States. You only have to read the testimonies on the ‘Brexpats’ website.
Much of this uncertainty could certainly be removed by the British Government. I think many of us will welcome tonight’s vote in the House of Lords on the Article 50 bill, asking the government to introduce proposals within three months of the triggering of that Article, to ensure that EU citizens in the UK have the same residence rights after Brexit. In the meantime, as people have said, there are people in the UK from EU countries who have lived, worked, studied and retired there. Some have caring responsibilities and there I think we have an issue with the long-term residents directive. They do not want to be used as bargaining chips; they feel it is insulting and demeaning, and it is. Our government could at least be clear that these people are valued and it should strongly condemn the rising racism and xenophobia we are seeing in the UK.
A lot of the stress and the fear that we are seeing is also being caused by the attitude of the authorities. Certainly in terms of sickness insurance we know there has been a shift in position by the British Government over the last few years on the role of the NHS. We really hope that the Commission will get on, please, and introduce the infringement proceedings that have been hanging for so long. I think many of us would say from the case work that we are seeing, and indeed from the excellent LIBE petitions survey, that when you look at this, we either have a government that is dealing with wilful incompetence or targeted administrative efforts to actually delay, restrict, diminish – all of these words crop up time after time, and we would like some certainty, please, for our citizens and yours."@en1
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