German vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, said he would raise the issue of dual citizenship, which is generally forbidden in Germany for non-EU citizens, in the country’s national elections next year.
“Let’s offer it to the young Britons living in Germany, Italy or France so that they can remain EU citizens,” Gabriel said at a meeting in Berlin of his centre-left Social Democratic party.
“It’s a good sign that the youth of Great Britain are more clever than their bizarre political elite,” Gabriel continued. “For that reason we can’t raise our drawbridge on them. We have to think now about what we can offer Great Britain’s younger generation.”
The opposition Green party has also called for Germany to make it easy for Britons living in Germany to get a German passport.
Volker Bouffier, premier of the German state of Hesse – home to Germany’s financial capital, Frankfurt – told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that “quite a number of Brits” were currently applying for German citizenship.
The statements came as Theresa May, the leading Conservative candidate to lead Britain into exit talks, repeated her warning that the status of EU citizens in the UK would be a factor in negotiations. (full story The Guardian)
Gabriel did not elaborate on young Britons’ age limits for dual citizenship, and I assume it was just an idea to start with.
And how about the not so young Britons who have settled in the EU south like Greece, Italy and Spain and have started an existence here?
Are you, British expats, worried about your future in the EU-South once the UK will exit the European Union?
Feedback is much appreciated.
I see that the politicos are still playing silly games! None of the youth of the UK are at all interested in being a member of the EU, just check out the turnout for that age group. Most of them were told the scare story that when we came out of the EU, the letters EU would obviously come off the front of our passports, Therefore they would not be able to travel within the EU zone. Utter rubbish of course, but in the UK you can tell our 18 year olds anything and they will believe it – get onto Facebook and before long – the lie becomes the truth.
You appear to be insane. Let me explain to you: young people in the UK do not vote because they are sick to the back teeth of cynical old gits like you, who fart around and screw up the country, all the while congratulating yourselves on how clever you are. In simple language, young people are disillusioned with politics. They are not disillusioned with the EU, and many are now angry about the shit that old fogeys have stirred with this Brexit nonsense.
~
As for this garbage you have posted about freedom of movement in the EU, this is the output of a deluded mind. Freedom of movement (for residence, work, providing or receiving services) is a principle of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. It is not a human right, which is why most countries not in the EU have to queue up in a non-EU line and will have had to apply for visas just to travel. As for residence and work, forget it. If the UK wants to continue with free movement, it will have to accept the EEA agreement — which is basically the EU without any voting rights.
~
So yes, it is quite possible that UK citizens will not be able to travel around the EU after Brexit. This was openly stated by Dominic Raab MP — one of the looney right advocating Brexit. Try getting your facts right, before posting OAP nonsense about gullible youth and Facebook: the fact is, matey, that you are the gullible one. You seem to have swallowed the Tory right wing crap (or was it UKIP?) hook, line and sinker.
Let me try to understand this. Young people are disillusioned by politics – they are not disillusioned with the EU which is a political union. They were so enamoured with the EU that they decided the best course of action was to not vote to stay in the EU?
They don’t like David Cameron – but they do like Jean-Claude Juncker. I personally don’t think much of either of them.
This is a little confusing. I, and many others, are not enamoured with the EU. We decided that the best course of action was to vote to leave the EU.
Every eligible voter did what they thought was best. Remain – Leave – or stay at home watching the TV.
Of course it is my fault, It has to be someone’s fault, might as well be me. I am of course anything that you want to call me, racist – what have you.
Of course I love Farage (I don’t) Of course I am a right wing fanatic (I’m not) of course I vote UKIP every chance I get (I never have) – but I must do, because you say so.
So, to get things straight – when given the chance to change things or indeed maintain the status quo – the best thing to do is say nothing and not vote when given the chance.
Surely your ire should be directed toward those who could have made a difference, but didn’t bother to vote – rather than to blame the people who exercised their democratic right?
That the younger generation are sick of listening to us pensioners is total b***ocks – when was the last time any young person listen to the likes of me? Or their parent, come to that.
As for travel, wanting to move to a different country to work and live – I can’t see how things will change much – the people who did it pre-1957 all seemed to do fine.
If the remaining EU states become a bit spiteful and try to make things harder for UK passport holders – that would be indicative of the club you wanted to remain in.
Nobody like a spiteful loser.
If you confined your comments to things that I actually said, then I would see some point in responding. However, I am not going to respond to imagined things.
As for pre-1974 (when the UK acceded), UK citizens were not able to reside or work in other European countries except with great difficult, and then only if their skills were needed. Nor was it that easy to travel, since you had to obtain a visa for most countries. I was a teenager then, but I do recall what a big deal it was to go for a holiday in another European country. And the idea of moving there would be simply out of the question.
So yes, if you think going back to a narrow-minded provincial and isolated UK is an improvement on the current situation, along with a collapsed economy, you made a good political decision. As far as most young people and myself (old person) are concerned, you are an idiot.
97% of Europeans can’t visit the UK cuz it’s just too fuckin expensive, how European is that? And how European is it to have different wages and different welfare systems? It makes also more sense to have Turkey in the EU as they’re riding on the right side like real Europeans. Wanna join again? Teach all your children for first language in school Greek, the only true European language from which all these Barbarians stole 2/3 of to pimp up their primitive grunts and mouth-farts that needs a Komboloi as an alphabet. Funny is that most Turks would start learning Greek with much more fun and esprit than most “Europeans”…
Ah yes, Herr Gabriel expressing concern and opportunity for British youth. Horse puckey. Germany is in desperate need for young, skilled, warm bodies to replace an aging work force. With the lowest birth rate in Europe, Germany will soon be unable to support their public pension system. What better approach than to rob fellow states of their youth?
Note that he doesn’t suggest that the EU provide a relatively simple path for all Brits who may be “stranded” due to Brexit. Just those that could help solve Germany’s labor problems. No mention of concern for the hundred of thousands of Brit pensioners living in Spain, for example. But then, neither has he ever shown an iota of compassion for Greek pensioners horribly impoverished by a “bailout” primarily designed to protect German banks.