The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Rasmussen, has confirmed that Denmark will not seek to remove British citizens currently residing there after Britain leaves the EU. The apparent rush for confirmation on this issue is thanks to the ever increasing chances of a no-deal Brexit being struck in the coming months.
The call for clarity in Denmark comes days after Italy became the first country to confirm that UK citizens would still be able to live and work in the country. This is a direct result of the EU itself asking its member states to be kind to UK citizens unfortunately caught in the crossfire of Brexit.
In reply to a Tweet noted in the CPH Post, Rasmussen was quoted as saying, “Of course you can stay. We are preparing legislation that we hope won’t be necessary” in response to a question by a UK journalist in Denmark. This backed up comments made by Rasmussen to the Danish parliament in October, 2018.
This reply itself was merely a continuation of various other discussions held via the social media website over several months with the Prime Minister stating that Denmark, as a country, would “take care” of UK citizens living and working on its soil.
This declaration may become more commonplace leading up to the deadline of March, 2019. It is currently unclear as to what may happen to any UK citizens seeking to move to an EU country before that deadline or if the concept of looking after people only applies to those already there. Denmark employs many UK citizens via businesses such as Informeo. This itself is an issue that countries must tackle to avoid an influx of people seeking to circumvent the process of leaving the safety of the EU.
If more countries follow the lead set by both Italy and Denmark, then it will provide those citizens working abroad with a safety net that they may have feared would have been removed from them. With the very real possibility of a no-deal happening, this is one issue that must be addressed across the board.
As more Brits seek alternative citizenships, with an emphasis on Ireland, this move by the Danish government may provide them with yet another option to choose from. With thousands of Brits calling Denmark home at this moment in time – and this picture being replicated across Europe – ex-pats will be watching what happens elsewhere with bated breath. The future of where they can live or work will depend on what other countries decide.
