European Citizenship after Brexit: Freedom of Movement and Rights of Residence

127 Pages·2017·0.69 MB·English

by  Patricia Mindus (auth.)

Palgrave Studies in European Union
Politics
Series Editors
Michelle Egan
School of International Service,
American University
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Neill Nugent
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester, United Kingdom
William E. Paterson
Aston University
Birmingham, United Kingdom
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PatriciaMindus
European
Citizenship after
Brexit
Freedom of Movement and Rights of Residence
PatriciaMindus
PhilosophyDepartment
UppsalaUniversity
Uppsala,Sweden
PalgraveStudiesinEuropeanUnionPolitics
ISBN978-3-319-51773-5 ISBN978-3-319-51774-2(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-51774-2
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017930933
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“[T]hat isthe miracle ofUnion citizenship: itstrengthens theties
between usand our States(inso far aswe areEuropean citizensprecisely
becausewearenationalsofourStates)and,atthesametime,itemancipates
us fromthem(in so faras we arenowcitizensbeyond States)”
AG PoiaresMaduro,Opinionon theRottman case (2010)
“Un miracle, selonl’énergiedu mot,estune choseadmirable(…).
Onexige doncque la doctrinesoit appuyée par lesmiracles,et les miracles
par la doctrine”
Voltaire,Dictionairephilosophique (1764)
C
ONTENTS
1 Introduction 1
Notes 4
References 4
2 TheStatus of EuropeanCitizenship: AnOverview 7
2.1 EU Citizenship: A BriefHistory 8
2.1.1 TheBackground 8
2.1.2 A Farewell to TraditionalInternationalLaw 11
2.2 The DerivativeCharacter of UnionCitizenship 15
2.3 Entitlements Connected to theStatus 18
2.4 Conclusion 23
Notes 24
References 26
3 ASudden Lossof Rights 29
3.1 The HomeOffice’s NewWorkload 32
3.2 From Expat to Post-European 34
Notes 39
References 41
4 UnderstandingCitizenship: The Functionalist Approach 45
4.1 Four Argumentsin Favourof Theory 45
4.2 Applying CitizenshipTheory to Brexit 51
4.2.1 TheFunctionalist Theory 51
vii
viii CONTENTS
4.2.2 How Can itbeAppliedto Brexit? 54
Notes 57
References 59
5 CanRightsBe Frozen? 61
5.1 Lessons fromInternationalLaw 62
5.1.1 Dutyto Negotiate Solutions 63
5.1.2 Dutyto Inform 64
5.1.3 Rightto Option 65
5.2 Saving Citizens’Rights? 66
5.2.1 TheKurićDoctrine 68
5.2.2 Residence Rights inthe EU 70
5.3 The Wrong Saviour? 72
Notes 73
References 75
6 Who Getsto Withdrawthe Status? 77
6.1 Who Gets to WithdrawUnion Citizenship? 77
6.2 Limits ofPublic InternationalLaw 80
6.3 EU Law Limits to State Discretion 81
6.3.1 ResistingTemptation 83
6.3.2 Consequences forthe UK 85
6.3.3 Consequences forMember States 86
6.4 To ChallengeLoss of Status 88
6.5 Enacting UnionCitizenship 92
Notes 94
References 98
7 Towards aFunctionalist Readingof UnionCitizenship 103
Notes 112
References 112
Index 115
CHAPTER1
Introduction
Abstract The book aims to explain the problems faced by European
citizens in the UK and by UK citizens residing in member states of the
EuropeanUnion(EU)afterBrexit.Particularemphasisislaidonfreedom
of movement and rights relating to residence. A conceptually solid
approach is suggested so as to disentangle the various aspects of the
question. No matter its shape, Brexit will need to imply changing the
territorialscopeofapplicationoftheEUTreatises.Thiswillbringchanges
to the personal sphere of validity of EU law. The citizenry is expected to
shrinkinsizeandchangeincomposition,andsomepartsofitwillbeleft
in potentiallyvulnerablepositions.
Keywords Europeancitizenship(cid:1)Brexit(cid:1)UnitedKingdom(cid:1)Freedomof
movement(cid:1) Rightof residence(cid:1) EUlaw
Thereferendumon23June2016triggeredawaveofconcernonmatters
political, constitutional, international and more. There are many issues
surrounding the procedure of exiting, when the UK will do it, about the
constitutionally legitimate procedure to do so, about the drafting techni-
quesofthetreaties,inparallelorsubsequently,thatArticle50willrequire
onexitandfuturerelations,andhowtheBrexitwithdrawalTreatymaybe
enforced, what happens if the UK changes its mind during the negotia-
tions,andmore.1
©TheAuthor(s)2017 1
P.Mindus,EuropeanCitizenshipafterBrexit,PalgraveStudies
inEuropeanUnionPolitics,DOI10.1007/978-3-319-51774-2_1
2 EUROPEANCITIZENSHIPAFTERBREXIT
Thequestionaskedhereis:WhataretheconsequencesthatBrexitmay
entail for the regulation of nationality and migration, taking into consid-
eration European Union (EU) citizenship? The book investigates
European citizenship after Brexit, in light of the functionalist theory,
thatis,ageneraltheorythatdevelopsanepistemologicallystrongaccount
oftheconceptofstatuscivitatis(Mindus2014a,b;Cuono2015).Sucha
theoretically informed inquiry is warranted for a number of reasons and
enables relevantpolicysuggestions.
Asthingscurrentlystand,outcomesofnegotiationscannotbeforeseen.
Focus here will be on determining what resources, if any, are available to
the legal scholar regardless of what may happen in negotiations.
Therefore, this study is made under the assumption of a non-negotiated
withdrawal.
Manyhave,ofcourse,pointedouttheunlikelihoodofnon-negotiated
withdrawal.Yet,Iwilloperateunderthisassumption,ortheassumptionof
awithdrawaltreatymakingnomentionoffreemovementrights,whichfor
the present purposes would amount to the same thing. I have chosen to
operate under this assumption because the question of remedies in the
absence of an agreement is relevant since there is no guarantee that any
future agreement would have terms that are favourable to all affected
groups and/or that any agreement would claim comprehensiveness. The
political likelihood of determinate negotiational outcomes is therefore
secondarytoestablishingthelegalsituationthatwouldprevailinabsence
ofagreementstocome.Knowingwhatnegotiationscandohelpsusassess
the quality ofthe output ofthese.
So without engaging in predictions about what is likely to happen
politically or in the negotiations, the book aims to explain the problems
faced by European citizens in the UK and by British citizens resident in
member states of the EU after Brexit. Particular emphasis is laid on free-
domofmovementandrightsrelatingtoresidence.Thisallowsthereader
tounderstandthelegalcomplexitiesaffectingthosewho,onbothsidesof
theUKborder,havereliedonfreemovementinmakingtheirlifechoices.
Thebooksuggestsadoptingaconceptuallysolidapproachsoastodisen-
tangle the various aspects of the question because, no matter its shape,
Brexit will need to imply changing the territorial scope of application of
the EU Treatises.2 This will bring changes to citizenship, that is, the
‘personalsphereofvalidityofthelegalorder’(Kelsen1945).Thecitizenry
isexpectedtoshrinkinsizeandchangeincomposition,andsomepartsof
it willbe left inpotentially vulnerablepositions.