Most of readers from the UK are probably fed up with the continued wrangling over the Brexit deal. The group called "ECREU" is a lobbying group composed of EU resident British citizens putting opinions and demands to government (without a lot of success it seems). Their latest newsletter contains this text from the French government about what happens with a no deal and its plans.
"French Government plans for our future...
The Government in France has prepared a law to cover our rights in the event of ‘no deal’. It gives some comfort that we can stay, but emphasises the need to get your residency status in order before March 29th. Citizens’ rights are subject to reciprocity by the UK, in other words, how French citizens are treated in the UK. The law empowers the Government to prepare for the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union with five orders or ‘ordonnances’. The first ordonnance governs the rights of British citizens in France and provides in particular:
• A period of twelve months during which, subject to reciprocity, these British nationals may continue to reside in France without a residence permit. They will therefore have one year to take steps to obtain a residency card if they have resided in France for more than five years, or one of the titles provided for residents who have been present for less than five years under lighter conditions,
• Preservation of the social rights enjoyed by these nationals on the date of withdrawal,
• Maintenance of British companies established in France in regulated sectors (lawyers, accountants), • Maintenance of British civil servants in the French civil service. A second ordinance allows for creating the infrastructure necessary for the reestablishment of border controls (customs, sanitary and phytosanitary controls, goods and persons), by lightening certain formalities. A third order allows companies based in the United Kingdom to continue to carry out road transport operations in France. It will also make it possible to issue a safety clearance to Eurotunnel. A fourth order ensures the continuity of certain financial activities, particularly in the field of insurance, after the loss of the United Kingdom’s financial passport. A fifth allows the continuation of transfers of defence materials between France and the United Kingdom. All these contingency measures will be complemented by European legislation currently being drafted. The Prime Minister has decided to trigger the action plans of the ministries in charge of the reestablishment of border controls with the United Kingdom:
• Infrastructure managers are invited to launch without delay the necessary works (temporary construction and parking, in particular, for an amount of about 50 M € for the border controls to be operational on 30 March.
• Ministers in charge should train and assign additional staff for customs and veterinary controls (580 jobs), and concentrate them in the regions most affected.
• These measures should enable the ramping up of the controls necessary to preserve the single European market, while maintaining the greatest possible fluidity of flows of goods and people.
• The Minister of the Economy and Finance and the Minister of Action and Public Accounts to increase the awareness-raising actions of economic actors, in particular SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprise);
• The Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Minister for European Affairs, to inform British and French nationals that Brexit will bring about change but France is determined to maintain the excellent level of integration between the two countries. The Government’s has launched a new web site (in French) - www.brexit.gouv.fr - where individuals and businesses to find answers to their questions. The Prime Minister has asked the ministers concerned to ensure permanent and close consultation with local elected officials and economic actors on the ground. It is emphasised that these are contingency actions, and will continue as long as the British Government fails to clarify prospects of an orderly exit. If you live in France, RIFT is the place to go for up-to-date and accurate information and advice. Go to: https://www.remaininfrance.org/ "
The whole newsletter, which contains other useful items (driving licences for example) is at this link
https://www.ecreu.com/pdfs/ecreu-news-feb-19.pdf
