Warsaw, March 28 (CTK) – Czech PM Bohuslav Sobotka does not expect Britain to introduce restrictions on immigrants from the EU member states after the official launching of the Brexit talks on Wednesday, he told reporters before a meeting with his counterparts from the Visegrad Four (V4) countries yesterday.
The V4 is comprised of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
“I do not expect any negative steps since they would be at variance with the commitments that Britain assumed as an EU member state,” Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) said.
“The treaties make it clear that until it leaves the EU, Britain will remain a member state with its rights and duties, and there is no reason for Britain to restrict a free movement of labour force,” Sobotka said.
Only in two years as of Wednesday, if no other agreement existed, the “hard Brexit” will occur and Britain will no longer be an EU member state and an EU member’s rights and duties will not apply to it, he said.
Though the Brexit process starts on Wednesday, it does not mean that Britain will leave the EU on that day since at least a two-year talks will follow, he said.
This period might be extended if all EU member states agree on this unanimously, he added.
Sobotka said he expected the mandate for EU negotiators on which an extraordinary EU summit would decide at the end of April to enter the agenda of the talks in Warsaw.
“The negotiations (with Britain) will not be easy at all,” Sobotka said, adding that both Britain’s departure from the EU and their future relations must be talked about.
“The EU will be negotiating as one whole, but the V4 should also have an ambition to actively participate in defining the mandate for EU negotiators,” he said.
“The citizens’ rights should not be touched. One of the priorities of our, that is the EU’s, talks with Britain will be to preserve the rights that EU citizens, including Czechs, gained by moving to Britain and starting working there,” he pointed out.
The situation of the people who will arrive in Britain after Brexit will be a subject of future negotiations, he added.
Asked by CTK how Prague would react to possible earlier British restrictions, Sobotka said Britain should not introduce any at least because British citizens live in the EU and enjoy the same rights as EU citizens in Britain. Consequently, such steps would threaten the situation of Britons in Europe, and primarily affect the atmosphere of the upcoming Brexit talks, he added.
“We will be definitely extremely sensitive to such a matter and we do not wish any worsening of our citizens’ conditions… As long as Britain is in the EU, that is for next two years, it cannot worsen conditions of our citizens living there,” he pointed out.
