British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain, residents, even in case of a no-deal Brexit, the prime ministers of Britain and Norway said. The UK and the EU are yet to arrive on an agreement on the post-Brexit access to markets amongst…
British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain, residents, even in case of a no-deal Brexit, the prime ministers of Britain and Norway said.
The UK and the EU are yet to arrive on an agreement on the post-Brexit access to markets amongst other pressing issues.
Background
It was on June 23rd, 2016 that Britain narrowly voted to leave the European Union, stunning Europe and the world in general. The EU employs a set of policies for its 28-member states that aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods and trade among other services. Britain is deeply intertwined with the workings of the EU especially with regard to trade. Leaders of member nations have expressed their dismay over Britain leaving the body over the past year. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte are among those who have been vocal about their apprehension regarding the unfolding events.
In December 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May struck a last-minute deal with the EU regarding key issues. According to this deal, there will be no “hard border” in Ireland. The rights of EU citizens in the UK and the rights of UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU would also be protected in accordance with the deal.
The UK is officially set to leave in March 2019.
Analysis
British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain, residents, even in case of a no-deal Brexit, the prime ministers of Britain and Norway said on Tuesday (Oct 30).
The agreement announced on Tuesday was the first concrete step agreed between Britain and the Nordic country on terms that would apply after Britain leaves the EU in March. Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the single market as a member of the wider European Economic Area (EEA). “Prime Minister May and I agreed that Norway and UK will put in place a comprehensive citizens rights’ agreement,” said Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway.
“We will treat all UK citizens living in Norway… so they will have the same opportunities as they had before also after March 2019,” she said, adding that Britain and Norway were “very close” on agreeing to a deal to mirror any Brexit deal London concludes with Brussels.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, visiting Oslo, said she was making the same commitment to Norwegian citizens, as part of a wider pledge to grant such rights to citizens of all EEA countries already living in Britain. “Whatever happens, we confirm that people from the EEA, the Norwegian citizens and those others who are living in the UK, and who have made their life choice to be in the UK, well, to be able to be in the UK. We want them to stay.”
Solberg said that in the event Britain leaves the EU without a free trade deal with the EEA countries, the most challenging issue between Norway and Britain would be the trade in goods. “The most difficult part will be goods, especially from Norway to Britain, because there will be problems on the British side more than on our side,” she said. “We will have to deal only with Britain, but (Britain) will have to deal with everybody,” she said after a session of the Nordic Council at the Norwegian Parliament where May spoke earlier.
Britain is Norway’s most important trading partner, buying oil, gas and fish.
Assessment
Our assessment is that the UK-Norway agreement is just one of the many steps the UK has to take in order to retain the status quo for its citizens in Europe. We believe that the UK is stalling the exit negotiations in an attempt to hasten the decision making in Brussels. We also feel that the UK is running the risk of a recession if it does not have a definite exit deal from the EU.
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