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United Kingdom and Gibraltar European Union membership referendum
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The maps in the UK are now being shuffled. After the new elections on December 12, the Brexit issue may be brought to a conclusion: The then newly formed lower house may accept the deal with the EU, reject it or perhaps - which is currently unlikely - the Brexit completely off.
Premier Boris Johnson has long wanted new elections. Now he got it, because in Brussels, the EU ambassadors have previously agreed to extend the Brexit deadline by the end of January 2020. This excluded a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. That wanted to prevent the opposition at any cost.
And yet the no-deal is not completely off the table. And the question of whether Brexit comes with or without a deal is by no means a purely British affair. It affects us all.
The EU has compiled documentation for both cases. Both for the contractual Brexit and for the hard Brexit without agreement.
And a few effects are already being felt. Here is a list of the main consequences of a Brexit for consumers:
Jobs: Some jobs are shaking now, and exports to Great Britain are falling significantly for the second year in a row. It hits the car industry in particular (Ford in Cologne and Saarlouis, BMW as owner of the mini-brand family). There, exports fell by more than six billion euros. In the past, the German car industry has exported to the United Kingdom for about 20 billion euros every year.
Investments:
As far as the money is concerned , some British banks have offered ordinary interest rates in excess of one percent, especially in euros. Currently, the UK has a deposit insurance according to European standards. However, the hedging limits are set in pounds sterling. And when the pound weakens, the fuse also weakens. Remittances will continue to be possible via SEPA in the future.
British stocks have not weakened badly lately. In any case compared with the German market. However, investors suffer losses due to the pound weakness.
British life insurance policies with German customers are no longer British life insurance policies - and therefore no Brexit problem. The contracts have been sold frequently over the past 20 years. The sellers were particularly pleased with the high commissions and promised the customers more return, because British insurers had to respect not so strict investment rules. Insurance companies such as Standard Life have moved their business with their hundreds of thousands of continental European customers to Ireland or Luxembourg in early 2019 because of Brexit. The British extra safety net, which was created after a major insurance failure 20 years ago, is no longer there.
To travel:
If the weather does not scare you in the UK, you can currently go on a very cheap holiday. Cause is again the weakness of the British pound. Especially the Christmas shopping in London will be cheaper than it has been for a decade. And the shopping rules are even better for customers on the island than in this country. More below.
When traveling , the British strive for normalcy despite the threat of Brexit.
- Identity card or passport you have already used when traveling to the island. Great Britain does not belong to the Schengen area. But you will not need a visa either way by the end of 2020. And maybe not after that.
- European passenger rights remain valid for flights from the rest of the EU to the UK and for flights from EU companies from the UK to Europe.
- The British Government says that rights should continue to apply to UK companies as well. We will see. Ryanair and Easyjet are not a problem anyway: Ryanair is an Irish company and Easyjet founded a subsidiary in Vienna in the summer of 2016 after the Brexit referendum, which is to handle the entire EU business of the British airline. Both companies try to ensure that they are not majority-owned British and therefore do not lose their EU take-off and landing rights.
- Rail travel , bus travel, ferries across the Channel, cruises and package holidays are also set to preserve European law. It has been transposed into national law in London.
- With the German driver's license you can drive in Britain if you move there, even exchange it for three years. But from the age of 70 you have to prepare yourself for a health examination.
- Your health insurance cover as a health insurance first applies until 31 January 2020 or a Brexit appointment on. In a Brexit without a deal, the protection for traveling cash patients would be lost. EU citizens living in the UK can continue to use the free state health care system by the end of 2020. For travel, a foreign travel health insurance is recommended anyway. Private insured persons should check their foreign protection. Often they do not need an extra.
- Telephoning and surfing should be possible for the time being with the roam-like-home-European-rules. The offers come from the telephone companies, certainly also from the British Vodafone. The Federal Government warns, however, that in the case of an unregulated Brexit but again roaming charges could come to vacationers.
Shopping:
For shopping in the UK the current rules apply at a regulated Brexit. In a tough Brexit, however, would first apply the rules of the World Trade Organization.
But for the Christmas business of 2019, the old EU rules definitely apply. Anyone purchasing online can rely on German law, including German warranty rights, as long as British products are purchased on websites for German customers. If you shop on UK sites, you have much longer warranty rights (up to six years), which is much better, but only in theory. Because in case of doubt you would have to enforce them in the local courts.
Right of residence:
One of the key discussions right at the start of the Brexit negotiations was how to safeguard the rights of EU citizens in Britain and the rights of British citizens in the EU. Both sides emphasized in the negotiations that no rights should be curtailed, but not all believed it. And so far there is no agreement. In the years 2016 to 2018, 17,000 British citizens were naturalized in Germany, and since 2018 German citizens residing in Great Britain have become increasingly naturalized because they do not trust frying. The famous British novelist John Le Carré just started to think about his Irish ancestors at the age of 93 and applied for a second, Irish passport.
Social Security:
Anyone who has acquired claims to the health insurance, long-term care insurance, pensions or other social insurance in Great Britain should be able to guarantee these claims even in the event of an unregulated Brexit. To this end, the Bundestag passed a law in April. Similar rules were adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament in spring 2019 in a regulation for the entire EU. Employment Commissioner Marianne Thyssen said at the time: "The millions of EU citizens who worked before leaving the UK will not lose these pension entitlements when they retire in the EU ... Not everything will go smoothly ... but Citizens come first for the EU, regardless of the scenario. "
Education:
If you are already studying in the UK, you can also complete your studies there. The right of residence remains, Bafög continues to flow. Even those who stayed at the time of a no-deal Brexit in the UK under the program Erasmus +, could complete the planned study and continue to receive the agreed payments.
As far as the legal situation.
Let's hope the British make a clear decision in December. The Brexit agreement is on the table. Everyone there can read what the exit means and vote accordingly. And you and I will see how we arrange our future with our British friends.
