With the announcement that Theresa May will officially trigger article 50 on the 29th March 2017, starting the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU, there are many nervous Brits living on the mainland and the islands of Spain.
While many of us are optimistic that a deal will be struck sooner rather than later, until it has been agreed and on paper, things will remain unclear for the many expats in Spain, estimated to be around one million people.
Some good news that seems to come out of the Spanish camp though is the fact that they are in favour of what they call a ‘common agreement’ for EU and UK nationals living abroad.
This is of course is some way off of being confirmed but a reciprocal deal could be on the table, and Spain has agreed in principle to such a deal.
This must be exactly the sort of news Theresa May would have hoped for the day she confirmed article 50 date.
Spain’s EU secretary Jorge Toledo has intimated that they would look for a deal on healthcare and freedom of movement but the finer details like rights of citizens in both countries will need to be negotiated.
So while this is a positive announcement, it is still far from alleviating the fears that many UK nationals living in Spain are experiencing right now.
It is also not clear what Madrid will throw in to the negotiating pot, like Gibraltar for example.
