British pop legend Elton John may have happily confirmed his appearance at next year's Starlite Festival in Marbella this week, but for many of his fellow Brits the thought of what 2017 might bring is rather worrying.
For the one million plus British expats living in various EU countries this is a time of great uncertainty. What will happen to them when the UK formally applies to leave the European Union next March? Will the UK government accept an “opt-out” clause for those who voted “Remain” and allow them “associate membership” with an entitlement to a EU passport, as proposed by a Euro MP from Luxembourg?
Malaga Province believes there are many challenges, but also opportunities, ahead and, given the region's historical links with Britain, for this reason the University of Malaga hosted an interdisciplinary seminar last week to discuss the important relationship between the Costa del Sol and the United Kingdom.
Held at the university's Rectorado Building, the 2-day seminar on Brexit was attended by some thirty people, including attendees from academia, the law, journalism and those representing various Foreigners' departments in Malaga Province. The seminar examined the important historical relationship between Britain and the Costa del Sol in terms of the number of British expats living in the province and the trade relationships that have been formed over the last forty or so years since the UK first joined the EU.
Also present for some of the presentations were María del Mar Martín Rojo, Malaga City Hall's deputy mayor and councillor for economic productivity, business promotion and employment, and Charmaine Arbouin, the British consul for Andalucía, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.
Day One Topics
The seminar began with a presentation titled “From European Pensioners to non-Member State Pensioners”, which dealt with the effect Brexit has already had and is going to have in the not so distant future, including the experiences of many British pensioners who have settled in Malaga City itself as well as other parts of Spain.
Representatives from the University, who also presented a talk on rights and obligations of European retirees residing in other members states, were supported in the talk by Mayte Echezarreta Ferrer, Director of the European Observatory on Gerontomigration, and the British Consul, Charmaine Arbouin.
Day One also saw presentations held on the referendum's result and the hotly debated subject of political management driving Britain's exit from the EU, as well as what rights and political participation foreign residents living in Spain may have post-Brexit.
Day Two Talks and Presentations
Day Two began with an informative presentation given by Martin Rojo, who talked about the uncertainties and concerns faced by the tourism and business sectors alike and what socio-political importance Britain and Malaga have. The talk also mentioned what opportunities Malaga Province might find in attracting businesses that would have been set up in Britain before, but would now look to an EU member state as their base.
Other presentations hosted on Day Two included the thorny issue of how Brexit would affect British expats' rights and access to healthcare in a post-Brexit situation and what justice system would apply to them. Other topics included the potential decrease of tourist numbers at the Costa del Sol if the Pound fell any further against both the Dollar and Euro, and what rights Brits might have as both consumers and tourists, when they are no longer covered by EU consumer protection laws and regulations.