Negotiating the Future of EU and UK Citizens after Brexit

Abstract

After more than four decades of membership, the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union in 2016, resulting in a period of instability, especially for EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in the EU. European immigration represented one of the main topics during the Brexit referendum campaign, leading the UK to vote to leave the EU. As such, European citizens will no longer be able to freely circulate in the UK, as well as UK citizens in the EU. Consequently, citizens’ rights have been one of the main topics during the Brexit negotiations, as both parties wanted to ensure the best deal possible to protect their citizens living abroad. This paper considers the rounds of the negotiations between the two parties regarding citizens’ rights, analysing the strategies and deadlocks during the Brexit negotiations until reaching a Withdrawal Agreement. Particular importance is given to the stance of the two parties, analysing both the public speeches made by the negotiators and the strategies the two parties implemented. The paper also considers the drafting of the Withdrawal Agreement, evaluating every draft, so as to highlight the areas in which an agreement has been reached and the areas in which the two parties still disagree, until reaching the final Withdrawal Agreement.