British ambassador to Luxembourg John Marshall says the embassy is in close contact with the Luxembourg authorities and reassures British citizens that their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement will not be affected by the outcome of the negotiations on future trade relationships. Patrick Galbats

British ambassador to Luxembourg John Marshall says the embassy is in close contact with the Luxembourg authorities and reassures British citizens that their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement will not be affected by the outcome of the negotiations on future trade relationships. Patrick Galbats

As the clock ticks down to midnight, when the UK will officially leave the European Union, British ambassador John Marshall has been seeking to reassure British citizens in Luxembourg about their rights.  

Marshall has also made a video in which he addresses Luxembourgers in their native language, and assures them that the UK will continue to be a strong partner of the grand duchy and other countries in delivering on the promises of the Paris Agreement and is looking forward to “constructive negotiation” on the future partnership with the EU. You can watch the video with English subtitles here.

British citizens’ rights

As for British citizens, the ambassador repeats what he said in a Delano interview published earlier on 31 January, that talk of a possible ‘no deal’ Brexit in December 2020 is a reference to the possibility that at the end of the Transition Period the UK and EU may not have reached agreement on the future trade relationship. “This does not affect your rights as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement to continue living and working in the EU,” the statement reads.

 “The Luxembourg government announced last year that UK nationals living in Luxembourg who fall within the scope of the Withdrawal Agreement will be issued with a new residence card that shows that they are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement,” the ambassador said in a statement. UK nationals who work in Luxembourg but live in a neighbouring country, and who meet the definition of a cross-border worker will be able to continue to do so, though they will need to apply for a document, which certifies their rights deriving from the Agreement.

“We are in close contact with the Luxembourg authorities and will update you as soon as there is further information on how these processes will work,” the ambassador says. In the meantime he is encouraging British citizens to familiarise themselves with the information that has been made available on guichet.lu and government.lu, and the embassy’s own Living in Luxembourg Guide.

The embassy is also planning to hold the next in its series of Citizens’ Outreach meetings in early March, at which Marshall and other staff will provide information on details of the Withdrawal Agreement and answer questions.