The European Commission announced on Monday that it would take legal action against the United Kingdom for potential obstacles to the free movement of EU citizens at the end of 2020, after Brexit.
Brussels referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for “non-compliance with EU law on the free movement of EU citizens and their family members at the end of 2020 », indicated the European Executive in a press release.
This announcement comes as London and Brussels have shown a rapprochement since Keir Starmer came to power in July. The Labor Prime Minister has decided to “reset” relations between the EU and the United Kingdom, after a difficult period of dialogue in the wake of Brexit.
The United Kingdom officially left the European Union on January 31, 2020. But according to an agreement sealed between the two parties, European citizens and members of their families settled before the end of 2020 in Great Britain were to benefit from the same rights as those they had before Brexit.
Before referring the matter to European justice, the Commission has held several discussions with the British authorities since 2020.
But the European Union maintains that “several of its grievances remain unanswered, particularly with regard to workers’ rights and the rights of extended family members.”
