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Chamber and committees

Safeguarding and Protecting EU Citizens' Rights

  • Submitted by: Sandra White, Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party.
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
  • Motion reference: S5M-01970

That the Parliament notes with concern the anxiety and difficulties of the hundreds of thousands of EU citizens currently residing in Scotland and that of Scots residing in the EU as a consequence of the result of the EU referendum; commends the Scottish Government’s proactive and extensive efforts to engage with EU citizens; notes with concern that the UK Government has yet to engage with EU citizens to provide clarity of their futures; further notes that the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens in the EU that are incorporated in the Treaty of European Union may no longer be applicable if the UK invokes Article 50 and leaves the EU; recognises EU citizens' commitment and contribution to Scotland and therefore rejects that their rights to stay in Scotland should be used as a negotiation tool; believes that Scottish citizens should not have their European citizenship withdrawn against their will and that the UK Government must respect Scotland’s decision to remain in the EU; congratulates efforts by representative groups such as New Europeans, the3Million, Young European Movement Scotland and Migrant Voice to support EU citizens and in calling for a consensus on the rights of EU citizens before and after the referendum, and calls on the UK Government to swiftly clarify the current position regarding the legal status of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU in a situation where it considers that their treaty-based rights are at risk of no longer being applicable, and to agree with the European Council the necessary safeguards and guarantees to protect the future status of these citizens, in order to remove uncertainty and allay concern.


Supported by: Tom Arthur, Graeme Dey, John Finnie, Kenneth Gibson, Jenny Gilruth, Richard Lyle, Fulton MacGregor, Ben Macpherson, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Ivan McKee, Stuart McMillan, Maree Todd, David Torrance