Peter Kenworthy:

Brexit border-dash: Danish PM says Brits can stay in Denmark after no deal-Brexit

“Of course you can stay. We are preparing legislation that we hope won’t be necessary,” Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen replied to a tweet I sent him, asking whether British citizens like me can stay in Denmark after a no deal-Brexit.

True to his word
Rasmussen had told the Danish Parliament in October that “I want to make it abundantly clear that no matter the end result of the negotiations, we will of course look after the thousands of British citizens living in Denmark today.”

In December, he had replied to other tweets from concerned British citizens that Denmark would “take care of” British citizens if there was no deal and that legislation will be prepared in early 2019.

Following Italy’s lead
The PM’s answer comes after Italy, as the first EU country, confirmed on Friday that British citizens would be able to stay in Italy even if Theresa May doesn’t get her withdrawal agreement with the EU through Parliament later in the month.

In December, the EU Commission said in its plan for a no deal-Brexit that leaving the EU without a deal “would have an impact on [British citizens in the EU’s] right to stay and work where they currently live,” and that it “invites Member States to take a generous approach to the rights of UK citizens in the EU, provided that this approach is reciprocated by the UK”.

Needs an update?
The website of the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration still says that Denmark will consider how to secure the rights of British citizens in Denmark in the event of a no deal-Brexit, after negotiations between the UK and the EU are concluded.

Peter Kenworthy

Peter is a British/Danish journalist and Master of Social Science. He has worked for two Danish newspapers, an NGO and a municipal press department, is a contributing author to ‘African Awakening: The emerging revolutions’, and has written articles for an array of Danish and English-speaking newspapers and magazines.