Distrust of UK-based Europeans in British public administrations has increased after Brexit, according to a study published on Wednesday (12.05.2021) by the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA), a body created to monitor that the government is protecting your rights.
This report, released 51 days after the end of the “grace period” for Europeans who were on British soil before Brexit to obtain a temporary residence permit (June 30), is based on 3,000 responses from citizens of 27 European Union countries (European Union) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
IMA Executive Director Catherine Chamberlain explained, in a hypothetical meeting with the media, that the aim of the poll was “to educate Europeans about their rights after Brexit, as well as to” put work on the map. “A public body born as part of the Brexit agreement. .
The results of this study reflect that the majority of Europeans do not feel discriminatory treatment in the United Kingdom, although the lack of trust in British public authorities is a “latent” feeling among the participants.
Chamberlain cautioned about the fact that the data may “not be entirely representative” because the people who were motivated to fill out the survey are also more convinced of staying in the UK.
The report indicates that only half of those surveyed are aware of their rights as European citizens and 10 percent are considering leaving the island after June 30.
Second-class citizens
In addition, they expressed concern about becoming “second class citizens”, as well as not preserving their rights in the long term. Twenty-five per cent said they “do not feel they are treated as equals” with the British.
In recent weeks, various cases have been announced of European citizens, including Spaniards, who attempted to reach British territory after the implementation of Britain’s exit from the European Union, and were detained in immigration expulsion centers.
On this matter, Chamberlain admitted he had heard of some cases of “minor problems with customs”, but not of “direct complaints.”
Likewise, he commented that the institute will try to investigate this problem “in the future,” and the British government’s request for numbers of EU citizens held in the UK since the January 1 cut of relations with the European Union has not yet been made public.
Chamberlain encouraged these cases to be reported to the IMA with as much detail and data as possible in order to provide a solution, although he indicated that it was never a “substitute for official channels”.
Well, as a public body, the authority does not act in individual cases, but only to address the problems of the Europeans as a whole, and then notify the British authorities.
(efe)
