LONDON (PA) – So far, the vast majority of British and EU citizens have not felt the realities of Brexit. Although the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January, it is following the bloc’s rules until the end of this year, as part of a period of transition to the new economic relationship.
That’s ready to change.
On 1 January, the United Kingdom begins a new, more distant relationship with the EU after almost five decades of closer economic, cultural and social integration.
The change for Britain’s economy and population is the most dramatic since World War II, certainly more so than when the country joined the European economic community in 1973.
“It is a much bigger shock to our economic system and it will happen instantly,” said Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank and professor of European policy and foreign affairs at King’s College London.
“Suddenly you wake up in a new world at the beginning of January.”
Here are some of the changes in movement that people will begin to feel almost overnight.
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WHAT IS CHANGING?
Even if the coronavirus pandemic has led to the collapse of the number of people traveling between the UK and the EU, the end of freedom of movement on 1 January will be the most tangible consequence of Brexit to date.
Under the divorce agreement agreed by the two sides on 24 December, around one million British citizens who are legally resident in the EU will generally have the same rights as now. The same is true for more than 3 million EU citizens living in the UK
But British citizens will no longer have the automatic right to live and work in the EU and vice versa. People who want to cross the border to settle will have to abide by immigration rules and face other bureaucracies, such as securing their qualifications.
The exception is people traveling between the UK and Ireland, who have a separate common travel area.
For many in the EU, the freedom to travel, study and live anywhere in the bloc of 27 nations is one of the most attractive aspects of European integration.
However, some in the UK and other parts of Western Europe have become more skeptical about freedom of movement after several former communist nations in Eastern Europe joined the EU in 2004 and many of their citizens joined. moved to the UK and other richer countries to work. Immigration concerns were a major factor in the UK’s Brexit vote in 2016. On 1 January, the consequences of this decision will become apparent to both British and European citizens.
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WHAT ARE THE NEW RULES OF TRAVEL?
Although holiday travel will remain visa-free, British citizens will be allowed to spend 90 days out of every 180 in the EU, while the UK will allow European citizens to stay for up to six consecutive months.
For retired British citizens who have been accustomed to spending more than three months at a second home on the sun-soaked Costa del Sol in Spain, the change could be a shock. Also, British travelers from Europe will need to have at least six months of passports and buy their own travel insurance. The British will no longer be issued the European Health Insurance Card, which guarantees access to health care throughout the bloc, but the UK says it is setting up a replacement system so that British visitors to the bloc and EU citizens visiting the UK have further medical coverage.
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WHAT ABOUT PETS?
For British citizens accustomed to taking their dog, cat or ferret on holiday in Europe every summer, the situation will be complicated by the fact that the UK will no longer be part of the EU pet passport scheme – although the agreement avoids onerous procedures. a month some had feared. Pet owners in the UK will need to have the animal microchipped and vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before the trip and will need to obtain an animal health certificate from a veterinarian no later than 10 days before departure. .
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WILL LEADING BE WATER?
The agreement means that British drivers will not need an international driving license after crossing the Channel. British motorists can travel to the EU with their licenses and insurance from the UK, as long as they prove that they are insured in the form of a “green card”.
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WHAT ABOUT WORK?
The end of freedom of movement will have a major impact on employment at all ends of the labor market.
A British citizen who has just graduated on holiday in the Greek islands, for example, will not be able to go to a beach bar and look for part-time work without a visa. The same is true for European citizens arriving in the UK. They will not be able to go to a sandwich shop like Pret a Manger and look for work without the necessary documentation.
Larger businesses will also find it much more difficult and expensive to hire people from the other side. The agreement includes provisions allowing contractors and business travelers to make short-term business trips without visas.
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