At 23:00 GMT on Friday 31 January most of us will cease to be citizens of the European Union.
Are you happy about that?
There are proposals for the EU to bring into being the possibility of individuals becoming Associated Citizens of the European Union and the new President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said that she is “very open” to this idea.
Individuals and groups from many parts of the UK are writing to the President urging her to follow this through and to allow us the opportunity to become Associated Citizens of the EU.
Will you please add your voice to the voices of those that have already written.
There is a strong argument that a “proper letter” – in an envelope, with a stamp* on it – will have a much greater impact than an email and we urge you to do this.
THERE ARE TWO DRAFT LETTERS BELOW
Please use either of these and feel free to edit it so as to personalise your message as you want it to be.
*a letter to the EU needs £1.35 in stamps
If you really don’t want to send a letter you can email ec-president-vdl@ec.europa.eu but a letter will send a much stronger message, especially if the numbers are huge.And you could sent a copy to:
Guy Verhoffstadt
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz
Willy Brandt 06M115
1047 Brussels
who speaks strongly in favour of this
or email a copy to him at guy.verhofstadt@europarl.europa.eu And if you know anyone else who might want to be an
Associate Citizen of the EU
PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON
| YOUR ADDRESS Ursula von der Leyen The President of the European Commission European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 Brussels Belgium Dear Ursula von der Leyen I feel that I cannot let 31 January 2020 pass without protesting at how I, along with other UK citizens living both here in the UK and in the EU, are having our human rights stripped from us and have been turned into hostages of fortune by the UK government. At present, I am a European citizen, as well as a UK citizen. This is a vital part of my identity, which is being stolen from me, because certain unprincipled people, in positions of power and influence, chose to manipulate and gerrymander a referendum and General Election for their own ends. I therefore call on my right to appeal to you, as the President of the European Commission, and (as a citizen of the EU until the 31 January) my president, to allow me to apply for Associate Citizenship of the EU, as proposed by the parliament’s Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt. You have already indicated that you are “very open” to this idea but believe that the residency status of UK citizens would need to be negotiated with the UK government as part of a “future relationship” with the EU. However, I am all too well aware of how little interest the British government has shown in the rights of its own citizens, whereas I would assume that these rights are, for you, a priority. I accept there will be a fee and that the benefits would be very limited compared to those I presently enjoy as an EU citizen. However, I would very much appreciate your assurance that the option of Associate Citizenship will be offered to me, and any other UK citizen who requires it. Yours sincerely Your name |
YOUR ADDRESS Ursula von der Leyen The President of the European Commission European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 Brussels Belgium Dear Ursula von der Leyen, As the date for the UK’s legal departure from the EU approaches, I and many others up and down this country are filled with a deep sadness. We believe that the results of the 2016 referendum should never be interpreted in the light of the first past the post system, where the winner takes all and the loser, even if by a single vote, is left with no representation. In a close referendum held with a view to determining the opinion of the people, where more than 48% expressed a desire to remain, their voice should have been given some weight, especially since in the months and years following, when poll after poll showed that the small majority for leaving the EU had been reversed. Even in the December 2019 elections, the parties that wanted to remain in the EU won 53% of the votes but failed to campaign on a single Remain platform, and because of this our cause was lost. We believe that Europe is an essential part of our culture, history, heritage and our political identity, and that our futures are inextricably interlinked with regard to business, trade, security and foreign policy. We feel that these things are so valuable that they should never be lost sight of and that the ideals of the UK’s links to Europe should be passed on to our children and our grandchildren. With that in mind I request you to please allow those UK citizens who want to do so, – and there will be many – to avail themselves of the facility of an associate citizenship of the EU, the details of which can surely be worked out. I understand that this will not give us the privileges that we enjoy as members of an EU country and that there may be a payment to be made for it. Yet, I feel that limited as the privileges linked to it may be, it would be a valuable position for us to hold in times when to be optimistic about our future relationship with Europe is not easy. I hope that you will examine this proposal seriously and give it due consideration. Yours sincerely, Your name |