Firstly, I would like to wish you and your families a very happy new year!
2018 will be an exciting year for us all as we begin work on agreeing a future deep and special partnership with the EU. Our future partnership with the EU will not replicate membership but we should be optimistic and ambitious about what we can achieve. We share the same set of fundamental beliefs: in free trade, rigorous and fair competition, strong consumer rights, and high regulatory standards.
We have come a long way already.
Since the beginning of the negotiating process, the UK made it clear that any deal guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK would be dependent on such an offer being reciprocated for our UK nationals in the remaining Member States. We are therefore delighted that in concluding the first phase of the negotiations in the December European Council, that is exactly what we have achieved.
This agreement guarantees that your rights as residents in the EU will be protected in the Withdrawal Agreement, so you can have certainty that you will be able to receive healthcare rights, pension and other benefits provisions as you do today. You can also benefit from existing rules for past and future social security contributions.
We have also agreed that close family members will be able to join you in the Member State where you live, in this case – Malta, after the UK has left. This includes existing spouses and civil partners, unmarried partners, children, dependent parents and grandparents, as well as children born or adopted outside of the UK after 29th March 2019.
I hope this agreement will bring you some reassurance. As we continue to push for the best possible deal for our nationals across the EU, please do sign up for the latest updates on gov.uk.
As ever, we are open to questions and ready to discuss your concerns with you. I look forward to seeing more of you and hearing your views as this year progresses.
Happy New Year to you all.
By: Stuart Gill OBE, British High Commissioner for Malta
