The Romanian nationals in Great Britain and Brexit

Romania is ready to provide information to, guide and support Romanian citizens and companies in the UK all throughout Brexit, says the minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, who paid a working visit to the UK

Leyla Cheamil, 06.11.2017, 14:38

In the summer of 2016, a referendum organised in Great Britain decided to pull out the country from the European Union, and following the result, the Government in London launched, in March 2017, procedures of withdrawing from the community bloc, under Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

Negotiations to establish the terms of the withdrawal can last two years at the maximum, and on March 30, 2019, when Romania is holding the presidency of the EU Council, the United Kingdom will lose its EU member status. What will happen in the pre- and post-Brexit period to the Romanians living in Great Britain? There are voices claiming there might be unforeseeable consequences for those working or studying there.

Romania is ready to provide information to, guide and support Romanian citizens and companies throughout the process, says the minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu. He paid a working visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on November 3-4. During the visit, Negrescu met with representatives of the Romanian ethnic community and with leaders of the local public administration in Brent-London. Victor Negrescu paid this visit against the backdrop of a wide-scope campaign of public consultations being carried out. Titled “Romania in the context of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union”, it analyses the strategic action axes to be followed by the Romanian Government.

After Romania’s accession to the EU, the number of Romanians in the UK has constantly been on the rise, and this trend continues. Data released by the National Statistics Office show 328,000 Romanians are living in Great Britain. “The Romanian citizens represent a very important community, the third largest from among the EU member states, after the Polish and Irish ones, being generally well integrated into the British society and contributing to its welfare”, minister Negrescu said.

He underlined that the Romanian state makes all efforts for these citizens’ rights and interests to be maintained and protected. According to estimates by a professional organisation, over 2,000 Romanian medical doctors are working in Great Britain, as well as numerous experts in the financial-banking sector, artists, architects, teachers, IT specialists and researchers.

Some 10,000 young Romanians are also studying in universities and colleges in the UK. There is also a very dynamic community of professors and researchers at academic level. During a visit paid to Bucharest in September, the UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said the Romanians in the UK should not be worried at all about their post-Brexit situation, as they are extremely valuable members of the British society.