A Dutch court on Wednesday said it would raise the matter with the Court of Justice of the European Union, in Luxembourg, a little over a year ahead their country’s departure from the European Union on 29 March 2019.

“Does Brexit mean that the British automatically lose their European citizenship, or retain their rights? And if so, under what conditions?”, were the two questions which will be put by the Dutch court to the top EU court, as part of a case brought by five British nationals living in the Netherlands.

The decision by the Amsterdam court to escalate the matter to the highest judicial institution in Europe on these issues triggered messages of hope on social networks, posted by expatriates living throughout Europe.

The case could have major repercussions for the million or so British citizens who live and work outside of the UK in EU member states.

On 8 December, the EU and the UK announced that the rights of the more than three million Europeans living in the United Kingdom and the one million British expatriates in the EU would be preserved.

But according to one of the plaintiffs, “as the British government has clearly said, nothing is agreed until everything is done.”

An information event on British citizens' rights after Brexit will be held in Luxembourg on 22 February. More information about the event can be found here.