Klaus Iohannis: Brexit deal protects Romanians living in the UK

President Klaus Iohannis said on Sunday, after the Brexit deal was approved by the European Council, that he is pleased with the provisions of the deal for Romanians living in the UK, as it offers all the protections the country wanted to secure for its citizens after Britain leaves the European Union.

“This deal was negotiated for a long time, in detail, and the EU27’s negotiating team did a very good job. We supported them, and at the same time made sure that the points we were interested in were very clear in this deal and at the moment I can say we are pleased with the project.

It reflects all our concerns, like the future of Romanians in the UK, the EU budget and many other things – it’s a 500-page deal. And our opinion is that the project is good, and it’s should go forward.

The rights of Romanians are perfectly protected if this deal goes through,” said Iohannis in Brussels.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) also issued a statement on Sunday, saying that the objectives Romania had in the Brexit deal negotiations have been met, mainly in terms of protecting the rights of Romanian citizens living in the UK, Agerpres reports.

“The deal says that EU27 citizens in the UK and British citizens in EU27 who are beneficiaries of the deal (including those who will move to the EU27/UK in the transition period) will enjoy a series of rights. This includes the right to live in the UK for EU citizens and their family members, as well as aspects related to the coordination of social security systems, professional qualifications, medical care,” the MAE’s statement reads.

All Romanian citizens who want to continue to benefit from these rights will have to submit an online statement to obtain a new status (settled status). The registration procedure will become available after March 2019, provided that the European and British Parliaments approve the current Brexit deal.