Recortes de prensa sobre el Brexit - UMA · Recortes de prensa sobre el Brexit (Boletines de prensa...

VIII SEMINARIO INTERDISCIPLINAR UNIVERSIDAD‐SOCIEDAD

Ante el Brexit, España como lugar europeo de retiro Rectorado de la Universidad de Málaga (Paseo del Parque)

1 y 2 de diciembre, 2016

Recortes de prensa sobre el Brexit

(Boletines de prensa OEG)

"Dream Retirement of Millions of Brits Threatened by Vote to Leave E.U.", Time, 05 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Alistair Dawber)

http://time.com/4317481/dream‐retirement‐of‐millions‐of‐brits‐threatened‐by‐vote‐to‐leave‐e‐u/

2 million Brits who live in E.U. face legal limbo if U.K. votes to leave

The first order of the day at a meeting of the Torremolinos branch of the Royal British Legion, an organisation established in every town in the U.K. to raise money for war veterans, was organising an upcoming fundraising dinner.

“Is there a quiz?” asks Helen, one of the members. “And meal?” Fortunately there is: the dinner is being held in the same format as last year for the members who live in this part of southern Spain, but still feel strongly enough about their own country to sell Poppies each year to raise money for veterans and remember British war dead.

Once those that are yet to pay the $10 to attend the dinner have promised to so, the conversation switches to other issue that is dominating life for expats on the Costa del Sol: June’s referendum on the U.K.’s membership of the European Union.

Almost a million Brits have chosen Spain for retirement or as a bolt hole from the U.K.’s unpredictable weather, but their status will be threatened if the U.K. votes to leave the E.U. Establishing the rights of Brits in the E.U. would be a complex and daunting task according to a report by the British Parliament’s House of Lords published on Wednesday.

Officially, there are about 350,000 Brits living in Spain, to enjoy the sun and a substantially lower cost of living than in many parts of the U.K. In fact, conservative estimates put the number of Britons in Spain at closer to 850,000 – once those who have not declared their residence here to the taxman are taken into account.

An estimated 2 million Britons live in the E.U and more than 2 million Europeans live in the U.K. The numbers aren’t precise because E.U. residents can live and work freely in other E.U states.

Torremolinos – a small fishing village as recently as the 1950s – is now home to countless high‐rise hotels, British pubs and seafood restaurants with English menus. It has become home from home for many of those Brits seeking a life in the sun.

But many are now concerned that their lifestyles will be under threat if British voters choose to leave the E.U.

“It’s very worrying,” says Mary Le Corney, a retired teacher and the chair of the British Legion’s Torremolinos branch, who has lived in the town for the last 30 years. “It’s a very emotive subject and people here, among the expat community, are very worried, they are asking, what’s going to happen to us?”

The main concern among British expatriates in Spain and other E.U. states is: will we be allowed to stay if the U.K. votes to leave the E.U?

“I’m not even allowed to vote, but if I was, it would definitely be to stay in. I go back once a year for the Royal British Legion annual conference, and I can’t wait to get back here – we get a better quality of life in Spain. But we’re still British,” says Mary.

Hazel Glover, another British Legion member, is staunchly behind staying in the E.U., but complains the U.K. government has offered little information, especially when it comes to what happens if the U.K. leaves the E.U. “A lot of people are worried that we may not have the right any more to own property here, or to stay here. We’re worried about the right to continue to receive healthcare, ” she says.

That leads to another debate, with some who use the Spanish health service free of charge saying that they have already received assurances that their care will continue, even if Britain leaves the E.U. Others point out that there is no way of knowing.

The majority of the British expatriates in Spain and some other European countries are pensioners who don’t work and don’t pay income tax to their host country. By contrast, most of the European migrants in the U.K. are of working age and pay income tax.

The debate at the Legion highlights that few people know what are the risks of leaving, or the benefits of withdrawing. “I don’t think even the politicians know,” says Glover. “Nobody knows what might happen. You get this from one side, and that from another, but nobody really knows.”

For those that split their time between the U.K. and Torremolinos, typically spending the winter in Spain and going home for the summer, the issue is different.

“Out” says Tony, a farmer from Cumbria when he’s asked for his opinion. “We’re better off out. The E.U.’s completely undemocratic. You’ve got the commissioners, they’re not elected by anyone; they overrule anything they want. And then there’re the borders. We need to tighten them – the country’s full enough as it is.

“There aren’t many immigrants in Barrow, where we’re from. There are quite a few Poles that have come over in recent years, but they’re no problem really. They’ve always been good workers.”

All the members of the Legion agree that both the remain and the leave campaigns spread misinformation about the issue in Torremolinos. “You can’t trust a politician,” says Mary. Others accuse “certain newspapers” of pushing their own agenda.

A mile or so away on the beach front, even in late March, there’s already enough flesh being shown off by the northern Europeans to suggest that summer, and therefore June’s referendum, is not too far away.

“Can we even vote?” asks Maureen Blackwell, who with her husband, Geoff, emigrated to Torremolinos last October. The fact that they don’t know highlights one of the problems with both campaigns – there is a lot of argument, they say, and very few facts. The Blackwells would vote to remain in, albeit begrudgingly. “I think it would be best for the economy,” says Geoff. “But look at the situation in Europe with all the migrants. Something has to be done about it.”

At one bar, the landlord refuses outright to discuss the referendum. “Football, golf and running the pub, that’s all I’m interested in,” he says. “I couldn’t care less about the politicians. They all lie and I never vote. It won’t make any difference.”

Perhaps it is the most astute observation. The referendum is seen here as an unnecessary annoyance that could have a detrimental effect of people’s lives: as yet they just don’t quite know how.

Back at the Royal British Legion meeting, a show of hands shows a small minority in favour of staying in the E.U.. Interestingly though, the support for remaining comes from the full time expats. Those who split their time between Spain and the U.K. favour coming out.

It is obvious that the debate will continue at the upcoming dinner and quiz. Those that live in Torremolinos hope that a vote to leave the E.U. won’t mean it’s the last one they hold.

"Brexit would leave expats in 'ghastly' legal limbo for years", The Local, 04 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Noticia http://www.thelocal.no/20160504/brexit‐would‐leave‐expats‐in‐ghastly‐legal‐limbo‐for‐years

British expats living in the EU would face years of legal uncertainty after Brexit, a UK parliamentary committee concludes, adding weight to the worries of many Britons abroad.

The conclusions of the committee will only heighten the fears expressed by many British citizens living in the EU that Brexit would see them lose their fundamental rights and that it may take years of painful wrangling before they regain them.

Lawmakers from the 19‐member House of Lords European Union Committee are due to release a report of their findings on Wednesday after hearing the expert analysis of two senior lawyers familiar with the legal wranglings of the EU.

The committee's chair, the Conservative MP Lord Boswell of Aynho said: “The rights of some two million UK citizens living abroad would need to be determined, as would the rights of a similar number of EU citizens living in the UK.

“This is complex stuff – you are talking about the right to residence, to healthcare and to schooling, about maintenance payments and access to children, about research projects and contracts that cross borders, sorting all this out would be a daunting task.”

In his evidence to the committee Professor Derick Wyatt QC, a professor in law at Oxford University said: “It is estimated that two million Brits live in other EU countries. Take elderly people who have lived for 10 years in Spain. After five years, they acquired a right of permanent residence as citizens of the union and that includes access to the Spanish healthcare system.

“If we leave, what do we do about vested rights. Do we recognise rights to permanent residents that have arisen? What transitional rights do we give someone who has been working in the UK for years and has children at school and so forth?

“Let us not forget that for every example in the UK, there is an example of a UK citizen elsewhere.

“My guess is that the inclination of the government and parliament would be to be generous as regards those who had already made their lives in the UK, knowing that it would be likely to be reciprocated.”

Lawmakers in British parliament’s upper house stressed that successfully renegotiating the rights of the two million Britons living in the EU as well as future trade deals would be a “complex and daunting task”.

EU rules place a legal limit of two years on post‐Brexit negotiations, but the report warns that any agreements between Britain and other member states would likely take far longer to thrash out given the countless obstacles that would lie in the way.

“The long‐term ghastliness of the legal complications is almost unimaginable,” Sir David Edward, a former judge at the European Union Court of Justice told the House of Lords committee.

In an interview with The Local George Peretz, a QC specialising in EU and public law said: “The principle of EU law means that every Brit living or owning property elsewhere in the EU has a vast range of legal rights: to work, to run a business, to buy property, to live where they like, to use public services such as health, to pay no more taxes than locals, to vote in local elections and so on.

“Depending on the final outcome of any post‐Brexit deal, all of those rights could vanish if the UK leaves the EU.

In short Brexit would throw everything into the air and we don’t know where or how it will all land.”

"EU Referendum High Court battle defeat for British expats who cannot vote", Daily Mail, 28 | 04 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article‐3563136/British‐ex‐pats‐lose‐High‐Court‐battle‐right‐vote‐EU‐referendum.html

British expats lose their High Court battle over the right to vote in the EU referendum

British ex‐pats have lost their High Court battle over the right to vote in June's EU referendum.

The legal challenge threatened to delay the date of the referendum but this morning judges dismissed their case, meaning the June 23 referendum will go ahead as planned.

British citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years are automatically disenfranchised, which currently affects an estimated 700,000 UK nationals.

David Cameron promised to abolish the 15‐year rule in the Conservative party election manifesto last year but has yet to act on the pledge.

WWII veteran Harry Shindler, a 94‐year‐old who retired to Italy, submitted the judicial review, arguing that the automatic exclusion rule broke EU law and meant expats were being illegally denied the chance to vote.

He brought case to the High Court along with lawyer and Belgian resident Jacquelyn MacLennan.

Backed by law firm Leigh Day, they said the people who will be most affected by Brexit are those who have been excluded from having a voice in the historic referendum.

But lawyers acting for the expats confirmed they will seek leave to appeal direct to the Supreme Court.

Aidan O'Neill QC, who represented Mr Shindler and Ms MacLennan, argued at a one‐day hearing earlier this month that the 15‐year rule was arbitrary and said the Government had 'absolutely no reason for it'.

He said: 'Without British membership of the EU these two British citizens will no longer be EU citizens.'

In total more than two million British citizens live on the continent and the court was told today that their right to live, work, own property, retire, receive health care free at the point of use ‐ paid for by the NHS ‐ could be placed in jeopardy.

But government lawyers argued that their case was 'unarguable' and insisted the 2015 referendum legislation did not interfere with free movement rights and was not open to challenge on EU law grounds.

Mr Eadie said the impact of a Leave vote on those caught by the rule 'would be subject to negotiation with other member states and cannot be predicted at this stage'.

Mr Eadie also warned that a win for Mr Shindler and Ms MacLennan could lead to it being impossible to hold the referendum as planned on June 23.

Ms MacLennan said: 'The Government made a manifesto commitment to enfranchise all British citizens, no matter how long they have been abroad, saying that they thought that 'choosing 15 years, as opposed to 14 or 16 years, is inherently like sticking a dart in a dartboard' and that 'if British citizens maintain British citizenship, that brings with it rights, obligations and a connection with this country, and that that should endure'.

'We just want the Government to keep its promises.'

Announcing that the expats will now seek to appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, Richard Stein, from Leigh Day, said: 'We now intend to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, so that all British citizens living elsewhere in the EU can be part of the democratic process to vote in this referendum, which will have a very real impact on their lives.

'We believe that there is precedent for fast‐track legislation being put through Parliament in a matter of days in response to court judgment, so there would be no need for the referendum to be delayed if the Supreme Court rules in our favour.

'Since this is a vote in a referendum rather than in an election there is no need to link the votes of Britons in Europe to any particular constituency in the UK. Possession of a British passport should be enough.'

Mr Shindler, who retired to Italy in 1982, said the legal challenge was the 'last stand' for expats who fear for their way of life if the UK severs ties with Brussels.

He said he would vote Remain if he had the chance as many expats were concerned about the future if the UK voted to leave.

'It would have very serious repercussions for all expats and their families here,' he said before the High Court decision today.

'I came here in 1982 when you had to have a permit from the police to stay here. All that would come back. We would be immigrants here.'

Mr Shindler, who fought in Italy during the Second World War and was part of the Anzio landings in 1944, said younger expats could be forced to apply for work permits to remain in their adopted countries.

He was sceptical about assurances from the Leave camp that there would be little change in the status of Britons living in the EU following Brexit.

'That really is wishful thinking. That's no comfort to us at all, it's absurd to say that,' he said.

'There could be permits for work ‐ I don't work of course ‐ but those who work here will have to have a permit like they used to.'

The expats in EU nations were 'free ambassadors', helping to promote the UK across the continent, he said.

Mr Shindler, who lives in Porto d'Ascoli on Italy's east coast, said: 'It leaves us speechless to think anyone can stand up in Parliament and deny another Brit the right to vote.'

It is not the first time Mr Shindler has sought to challenge the 15‐year rule in the courts.

In 2013 he lost a European Court of Human Rights case in Strasbourg over his inability to vote in general elections.

Leigh Day claims that UK expats are excluded under the EU Referendum Act 2015 in a way that is incompatible with EU laws.

The firm said a win for the expats would have required fast‐track legislation in a matter of days, which would have thrown the date of the June 23 referendum into jeopardy because the Electoral Commission would have had to enroll hundreds of thousands of new voters onto the electoral roll.

Richard Stein, the lawyer representing the claimants, said before today's decision: 'Our clients are being penalised for exercising their EU free movement rights.

'The EU Referendum Act 2015 is said to be based on legislation for UK parliamentary general elections.

'But it gives a vote in the EU referendum to members of the House of Lords, as well as to Irish and Commonwealth citizens who are resident in Gibraltar. None of these are allowed to vote in UK general elections.

'The people it arbitrarily excludes are those UK citizens who are among those most likely to be affected by the decision taken by voters in this referendum.

'Not to allow them to vote on the decision whether the UK remains part of the EU is unlawful and we have asked the court to deal with the issues urgently so that the Act can be amended before the June date, to include all UK citizens residing in the EU for however long.'

Responding to today's High Court ruling, a Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: 'The Government welcomes the ruling of the High Court in this case.

'The franchise for the EU referendum was debated, considered and agreed by both Houses of Parliament and is enshrined in law.'

Government sources are also expressing concern that ex‐pats who are eligible to vote ‐ those not caught by the 15‐year rule ‐ go ahead and register and are not confused into thinking they cannot vote by the court ruling.

He said expats have the same concerns as everyone else, adding: "It is about whether you are concerned about the state of our democracy ‐ the EU is fundamentally undemocratic.”

But a Government paper on Brexit has warned there is no guarantee that expats would keep the rights to work, reside, own property and use public services such as healthcare.

It said: “UK citizens resident abroad, among them those who have retired to Spain, would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed.

“At the very least, any terms which the UK seeks for its own citizens would have to be offered to EU citizens wishing to come to or stay in this country.”

"Brexit: What would happen to expats if Britain leaves the EU?", Express, 20 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Alice Foster)

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/673054/Brexit‐what‐happen‐to‐expats‐if‐Britain‐leaves‐EU‐referendum‐2016

BRITISH expats across Europe are worried about what will happen to their right to stay in their adopted homelands. What does Brexit mean for them?

What would happen to British expats in Europe?

Roland Smith, a fellow at free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute, said that many British expats have concerns about whether they could stay in Europe in the event of Brexit.

But Mr Smith said: “That one has been knocked on its head by all sides. No‐one is suggesting that people will be repatriated from this country or repatriated from anywhere else.

“It would be impossible to implement but also incredibly damaging economically.”

What would happen to the rights of British expats?

Mr Smith said: “There are rights issues to do with healthcare and access to the host country’s benefits system.

"I think these are quite minor in the grand scheme of things. Some people would say healthcare is more of an issue.”

Mr Smith said that he strongly believes Britain would become part of the European Economic Area (EEA) in a similar way to Norway and Switzerland.

As a result, his opinion is that “not very much” would change for expats. He said: “They will carry on pretty much as before."

What rights would British expats have under international law?

Asked what would happen to expats in the event of Brexit, a Leave.EU spokesman said: “Expats rights will be grandfathered due to the Vienna Convention.”

The Vienna Convention of 1969 states that people keep the rights that they once exercised under a treaty, even if that treaty is later terminated.

Therefore expats in Europe would retain their “acquired right” to stay there, but it would not apply to people who move abroad in the future.

Mr Smith said that these “acquired rights” include British expats’ rights to live in another country and own property there.

But he said: “They are quite basic. The rights do not cover healthcare or benefits. That is the legal view of the legal profession.”

"British expats in Spain worry they may lose jobs and money if UK votes to leave EU", ITV, 17 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (James Mates, ITV News Europe Editor)

http://www.itv.com/news/2016‐05‐17/expats‐in‐spain‐worry‐they‐may‐lose‐jobs‐and‐money‐in‐brexit/

The debate as to whether Britain should remain or leave the EU continues ‐ even here, many miles away, in Spain's Costa del Sol.

A popular tourist destination, Spain's southern coast is also home to many Britons.

No one knows exactly, but estimates suggest that as many 800,000 Brits have chosen to live in Spain.

Thanks to the EU's freedom of movement laws, Brits can live, work and travel freely here.

And for that reason, many expats we spoke to will be voting to remain in the EU.

They can set up businesses, as Dean Hoile from Portsmouth has done.

He says the prospect of Britain voting to leave the EU is scary and that he worries what he would do having invested 80,000 euro in his sports fishing business.

He worries he'll be unable to work if there is a leave vote.

In a place where three out of four holiday homes are being sold to Brits, it's a view British estate agent Brian Wheeler shares but he thinks the Spanish will have to be generous in the event of a leave vote to keep British money on the Costa.

Julio Andrade, the Tourism Counsellor for Malaga, says Spain values tourism but that their generosity has limits and that if Britain leaves the EU it follows that Britons would lose their right to reciprocal healthcare for example.

In fact, he says they are expecting to see up to 40% of Britons leave the Costa del Sol in the event of a vote to leave the EU.

Pensions are also a concern for those Britons who have retired in Spain and could well be another reason they could decide to come home.

Like much in this campaign, it's not at all clear what the implications would be for those who claim their pensions here.

Currently pensions are index linked because the UK has bilateral agreement with Spain but no one is certain that that arrangement would continue after June 23rd.

For Newcastle born Esther McGregor though, an expat who spends nine months of the year in Spain, she's not convinced that a vote to remain is the way forward. Every man must steer his own boat she told us, adding that ex pats must be careful not to vote putting their own interests in front of those of the country.

The votes of Britons living abroad will be significant and if it's close they may even be decisive on June 23rd but the result is likely to affect them, possibly more than anyone.

"Post‐referendum property boom expected by Spanish estate agents", The Olive Press, 03 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/06/03/post‐referendum‐property‐boom‐expected‐by‐spanish‐estate‐agents/

ESTATE agents in Spain and Gibraltar are lining themselves up for the busiest July on record.

It comes as some British buyers put purchases on hold due to the forthcoming EU referendum on June 23.

Most agents the Olive Press spoke to confirmed they had various sales currently ‘paused’ awaiting the result, despite the British market remaining strong.

The majority believe that the expected result – to stay in Europe – will lead to the pound strengthening with a red hot summer of sales to follow.

Ben Bateman, at Holmes Sotogrande, described the referendum lead up as a ‘pause for thought for British buyers’ due to concerns over the weak pound.

“After a remain vote however, we expect to see a strong finish to the year – and a sudden wave of bids from British buyers,” he told the Olive Press.

One agent in Gibraltar has gone one step further actually employing extra staff for July. Savills director Sammy Cruz‐Armstrong said: “Everything is on hold due to Brexit, but I am convinced we will stay in Europe and am taking on extra staff in July to deal with the expected deluge of business.”

Benahavis agent Scott Marshall of PropertieSpain, meanwhile, described the pause as ‘very psychological’.

He said: “It’s a combination of the uncertainty of the vote and the exchange rate right now.”

While many agents have a couple of sales currently on hold, some have seen more.

“We have up to ten sales currently on hold until after the referendum,” said Victor Witkowski, boss of Castles, in Manilva.

“Buyers are not necessarily pulling out, but they are biding their time to see what happens.”

Fellow Manilva agent, Shani Hamilton, also confirmed a slowdown, but added: “We are predicting a huge influx of business as soon as a decision is made.”

Either way, official statistics out this month confirm the British market remains strong and tens of thousands continue to look for their dream home.

Respected analyst Mark Stucklin insists that foreign demand for Spanish property was up 16% in the first quarter with Brits the biggest group of foreign buyers at 22% of the market share.

“The British still dominate the foreign market for property and there is no evidence of a noticeable decline in demand as yet,” he said.

And certainly not everyone is suffering.

One agent, Graham Govier of Inland Andalucia has seen ‘no negative impact’ at all during the referendum lead‐up.

“In fact it is the opposite. Prices are extremely cheap right now and we are selling two times as many properties as we were last year,” he said.

He added: “My salesman Paul – already a bit of a local celebrity – has just completed his seventh consecutive sale and people are buying because they can see that the incredible deals won’t wait around for them forever,” he added.

Paul made headlines in the Olive Press last year when he sold an impressive nine properties in a row.

"San Fulgencio City dice no", El País, 02 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Rubén Amón)

http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2016/06/01/actualidad/1464772229_883429.html

Los ingleses que residen en al municipio alicantino temen que el Brexit acabe con sus ventajas sanitarias e inmobiliarias

La calle Londres de San Fulgencio desemboca en una plazoleta cuyas terrazas predisponen a la cocción de los jubilados británicos. Tanto por el sol como porque las pintas del "Jack's bar" exageran la ebullición de los cuerpos, empezando por el de Miller, un exiliado de York (67 años) que adora el karaoke y teme el desenlace del Brexit (salida de Reino Unido de la UE). Lo teme porque sus modestos recursos de pensionista pueden resentirse del presupuesto de salud. Se lo sufraga ahora la Seguridad Social española. Dejaría de hacerlo si prospera la separación de Reino Unido y la Unión Europea el 23 de junio. Y tendría que costearse las medicinas. Antidepresivos y analgésicos que dispensa la farmacia local como si fueran caramelos a las puertas del colegio.

Y quien dice caramelos dice candys, porque en la descomunal urbanización La Marina es casi imposible hacerse comprender en español. No lo habla ni Miller. Que recaló por vez primera en 2002 y que se instaló definitivamente en 2015. O no tan definitivamente. La gran duda del Brexit amenaza su familiaridad en el ambulatorio y el valor del chalé adosado. Tan barato o tan caro como el precio de un garaje en Londres.

"La decisión del referéndum sobre la salida del Reino Unido de la UE ha supuesto que las ventas hayan caído un 30%", explica Ascensión Duarte en su despacho de la inmobiliaria Smart. "Se ha producido un estado de incertidumbre que ha puesto en peligro muchos contratos. Se han paralizado las operaciones hasta que no se conozca el resultado. Como se consume el Brexit, muchos jubilados ingleses van a encontrarse en una situación muy delicada. Son pensionistas de recursos limitados".

La Marina de San Fulgencio es una ciudad extranjera a 40 kilómetros de Alicante. Cohabitan hasta 56 nacionalidades. Proliferan los alemanes, los noruegos, incluso los rusos, aunque los británicos representan el pasaporte predominante. Y han constituido un hábitat propio a la sombra de las palmeras. Tienen su emisora de

radio (Radio Bay), sus periódicos, sus negocios. Hablan en inglés con el personal de los bancos. Y con los veterinarios. Porque en San Fulgencio no hay jubilado sin mascota ni bastón.

Acaso Miller, cuyos músculos de currante y tatuajes de marinero en tierra le conceden una cierta superioridad entre los congéneres. La demuestra a la hora del karaoke. Un lunes a las 22,30. Porque en San Fulgencio no hay fines de semana. Todos los días son iguales y son iguales todos los hábitos: el paseo, el ágora, el autobús a la playa ‐se encuentra a 5 kilómetros‐, las tertulias del pub, la rutina del centro médico.

Está abierto 13 horas al día y ha restringido su actividad a los extranjeros realmente empadronados. Se trataba de evitar la picaresca de los foráneos que hacían turismo sanitario. No es el caso de Toby Kichenside, un londinense carismático, simpático, que presume de un aro en la oreja y presume mucho menos de su paso renqueante.

"Salirnos de la UE me parece un disparate. Y no lo digo sólo porque me perjudique, sino porque es un contrasentido a la idea ya consolidada de un espacio común. Significa un desastre económico. Supone una visión xenófoba, arrogante. Las cosas están igualadas, pero espero que recapaciten los partidarios del Brexit".

Hay categorías en La Marina. Pisos de 30.000 euros y villas de un millón. Jubilados ingleses con pensiones precarias y compatriotas de gran poder adquisitivo. Lo demuestra el ajetreo de las grúas en la calle Alfredo Kraus. Y la opulencia marbellí de las nuevas mansiones, como antídoto a la explosión de una burbuja inmobiliaria.

"La realidad es que ha caído el mercado de la clase media y que ha subido el de la clase alta", explica Ascensión Duarte. "Están llegando muchos extranjeros que no dependen de la Seguridad Social y que no van a sentirse afectados por el Brexit. Es una manera de garantizar el dinamismo de una zona ya muy consolidada".

San Fulgencio ‐10.000 habitantes‐ es el municipio español con más extranjeros de España. Y tuvo siempre una aspiración internacional. Cambió de nombre durante la Guerra Civil mientras anduvo en manos de los republicanos. Y la llamaron Ucrania del Segura. Un homenaje soviético que no sobrevivió al 36, pero que ya predisponía la visión de una excepción territorial que Miller reivindica como si el sol lo hubiera secuestrado: "No puedo volver a York. La vida es más cara, el tabaco es más caro, la cerveza es más cara. No sé qué va a pasar con mi salud si me quedo en San Fulgencio, pero sí lo sé que me va a pasar si me marcho".

"British expats could lose right to live and work in Spain after Brexit vote, Rajoy warns", The Olive Press, 02 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/06/02/british‐expats‐could‐lose‐right‐to‐live‐in‐spain‐after‐brexit‐rajoy‐warns/

BRITISH expats could lose the right to live and work in Spain in the event of a Brexit, Mariano Rajoy has warned.

Spain’s acting prime minister made the claim ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

More than 400,000 Britons live and work in Spain, making it Europe’s most popular expat destination.

But many expats fear what would happen to their pension value and healthcare access in the event of a Brexit vote.

Rajoy said: “Leaving the European Union would mean that British citizens would lose their right to move freely, work and do business within the largest economic area, the largest market in the world.

“Over 100,000 Spanish citizens work and live in the United Kingdom. Over 400,000 British citizens work and live in Spain.

“If the United Kingdom left the European Union, it would be very negative for everyone and from every perspective.”

"Looming EU referendum casts shadow for British retirees in Spain", Reuters, 31 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Catherine MacDonald y Marco Trujillo)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us‐britain‐eu‐spain‐retired‐britons‐idUSKCN0YM217

Lured by warmer weather, cheaper property and a Mediterranean lifestyle, some 800,000 Britons have made Spain their home over the last three decades. Now, many are wondering what a British exit from the European Union would mean to their way of life.

At Saydo Park, a trailer park nestled in the olive tree lined hills of central Andalusia, Britain's June 23 EU referendum is casting a shadow for many of its 200 retired British residents.

Some 35 percent of British residents officially registered in Spain are over 65 years old. Among the main concerns for retired expats in case of a Brexit are healthcare and pensions.

British pensioners registered as residents in Spain now have free access to healthcare under a reciprocal EU deal. Without it, some say, they would not be able to stay because they could not afford a private plan. Many also fear they would be unable to afford property if they had to return to Britain.

"We've been able to migrate here and we're residents ... If UK comes out of the EU, we may be classed as aliens," said Peter Harrison, 74, who has lived at Saydo Park since 2007.

Harrison's fears are echoed by many others who, over the years, have made use of the bloc's right to free movement to set up a home in Spain and bring over the British way of life.

Along the touristy Costa del Sol, pubs and fish and chip shops stand alongside restaurants serving paella.

With just a few weeks to go, it is not clear what kind of relationship London would negotiate with the bloc should Britons vote to leave the EU. The UK would have two years to negotiate new terms.

Expats moved to Spain in the 1960s and 1970s, and after Madrid joined the EU in 1986, their numbers increased. By 2014, data showed Spain had become the most popular destination for British migrants in the EU.

"I think if we come out it will affect people living out here," 80‐year old Patricia Dennison said.

"There's a lot of people who live here on a very small pension and should we have to pay for our medical, I think a lot of people will leave here and go back to England and they will just have to find places to put us in England."

"'I don't want to go back with nothing': the Brexit threat to Spain's little Britain", The Guardian, 27 | 05 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Matthew Engel)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/27/brexit‐threat‐to‐spains‐secret‐little‐britain

In Spain’s biggest British enclave, the EU referendum looms large over an expat Shangri‐La based on bowls, beaches and high‐quality free healthcare. But is there any real love for Europe there?

Seventy miles down the Costa Blanca from Benidorm, where the youth of Britain traditionally go to perform rites of passage raucously, lies a very different but even more British‐dominated beach resort.

In theory, it is only 40 minutes from Alicante airport. But it is so new as an entity that most maps fail to recognise its existence. Taxi drivers and ambulances alike get lost amid the confusion of roundabouts and unmarked sidestreets. My own satnav became hysterical. The place is called Orihuela Costa. It is part of the same municipality as the charmingly medieval city of Orihuela, 15 miles inland, but the two should definitely not be confused. The one is very Spanish; the other emphatically not.

The characteristic sound of Orihuela Costa is not, however, the all‐night yelling and 4am pukes associated with Benidorm; rather the clack and murmur of a game of bowls. There are very few conventional tourists, there being only one sizable hotel. The young are largely invisible. Instead, it constitutes a massive retirement village.

Despite its anonymity, this is the largest British enclave in Spain, and probably the largest in the world, if one excludes Perth and Sydney as containing aspirant Australians rather than expats. These people have no interest whatsoever in becoming Spanish or, in most cases, learning the language beyond the tourist basics of hola‐gracias‐adiós, and in some cases not even that. One resident thought that perhaps half his neighbours had never even been to Orihuela city. Some people give up motoring because they are scared of driving on the right.

What they want is to maintain the pleasures of British life in a happy, supportive environment with 300 days of sunshine a year. As such, it is brilliantly successful. But there is trouble in paradise: this cosy way of life may be a month away from screeching to a juddering halt.

Back home the posturing of the EU referendum may inspire indifference. The Costa crowd are capable of indifference themselves: here they are, like the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth Rock, blithely camped on the edge

of terra incognita, thinking they can re‐create an idealised England while knowing remarkably little about their surroundings or their hosts.

The newcomers have got the hang of one Spanish cliche all right: mañana. But now their situation is starting to hit home – not because Spain does not want them, but because their compatriots could make their situation untenable. The referendum is creating great concern, some alarm, and in one or two cases near‐panic. If Britain votes to leave, these Britons will very likely have to leave too, physically as well as politically. If Orihuela Costa were in the UK, its demographics – elderly, white, C1/C2s with a taste for bowls and golf – would make it a prime target for Ukip. Here the thinking is spectacularly different.

At the Emerald Isle bowls club, the Spanish national championships were under way. This is lawn bowls, not to be confused with the Lancastrian crown green version, American 10‐pin bowling or French petanque. The last two are big here, too, but according to Bob Donnelly, the Manchester‐born director of Spanish Lawn Bowls, his version is No 1, with 17 clubs on the Costa Blanca, containing more than half the country’s 3,000 participants.

“All British?” I inquired when we sat down by the bar. “All British,” he agreed. But then people from neighbouring tables joined in: “What about that bloke with the Australian accent?” “And there was that Belgian.” “And Giuseppe!” OK, it was agreed, almost all British. But no Spaniards. Or hardly any.

Donnelly, now 76, came out here as a 48‐year‐old after working as a refrigeration engineer. (“It wasn’t the cold in the fridges I minded, it was the cold outside.”) Fluent in Spanish, he is appalled by the prevailing expat indifference: “It’s abysmal. I cannot get anybody to assist me on committees where we have to deal with the authorities and speak Spanish.” But why bother? The locals make the effort instead.

The statistics are flaky, but the area is thought to have 50,000 dwellings, far more than the city itself. Nearly half of these would be holiday homes or buy‐to‐lets. The most authoritative estimate is that 30,000 people actually live along this 10‐mile stretch of coast, of whom 80% are non‐Spanish. And of those, perhaps two‐thirds are British or Irish.

Thirty years ago this was scrub and sand, with a few marginal citrus groves. When the developers came by, the farmers thought they had won the lottery. It began as a boomlet, but then came the Thatcherite sell‐off of council houses and the seemingly eternal rise in British property prices. Ex‐council tenants back home who had been looking forward to little beyond a state pension found themselves, like the farmers, living inside a pot of gold.

Even now the deal is amazingly favourable: £40,000 for a basic flat; £100,000 for a very pleasant home and garden; £150,000 for a detached house with a pool. For many, this is affordable even without selling up in the UK. The area is attractive, too: there are no high‐rises, and the vernacular architecture is a not unpleasant sort‐of Californian faux‐Moorish.

Furthermore, almost all the daily necessities are cheaper here. Cars, car insurance, nearly all food: a slight premium on Heinz baked beans (piled 8ft high in the biggest supermarket) and jars of Marmite, but not much. “You can live on a British state pension and still eat out three times a week,” said Kevin Reardon, owner of the Leader, one of the dozen‐odd English weekly papers. The restaurants are mostly somewhere between so‐so and dire, but there is a good choice of cuisines. Only Spanish food is noticeably under‐represented.

People who move within the UK when they retire often find themselves lonely. You would struggle to do that here. Neighbours look out for each other, and the papers are full of news from the sub‐cultures. And it’s not just bowls; there is something to suit just about everyone – chess or cribbage; bridge or a brass band; golf or gardening; mountain walks or morris dancing. In the British way, much social life revolves around charity events – mostly, it seems, for animal rescue. The one thing one might miss is astringent political debate.

Bob Donnelly cared enough to send out a circular asking members of the bowls club for their views on the referendum. The initial response was not huge, with just 22 forms returned. But the vote was overwhelming: two for Brexit, 20 for staying in. There was one over‐riding reason: healthcare. The European Health Insurance Card, available on application to everyone in Britain, gives an automatic right to emergency treatment anywhere in the EU. But registered expats get the full package free (with a contribution from the UK government) and they think it’s fantastic.

“I had a blackout on my scooter and woke up in a ditch,” said the bowls club president, Tony Capewell, from West Bromwich. “I thought they’d just patch me up. They kept me in hospital for a week doing tests. They were brilliant.”

Allen Bowen from Wales was even more fulsome. He has had multiple health issues lately. “Everyone gets a private room. The doctors are wonderful, and they all speak English. Plus the food’s very nice. I even go in to the cafe to eat if I’m nearby. They talk about Syrians, but if Britain comes out of Europe they’ll have about two million pensioners coming back demanding to go on the NHS. But it won’t be as good.”

And something about the lifestyle, or the health system, seems to work. The average age at Emerald Isle is even higher than at most British bowls clubs. At first it reminded me of the Sydney bowls club known as the Diddy‐Di (most conversations in the bar there began with a mention of absent friends: “Oh, did he die, did he?”). But Donnelly introduced me to two of the youngest‐looking near‐90‐year‐olds I have ever met. This might not be Eldorado; it could be Shangri‐La.

One local resident is steeped in politics. Bob Houliston bought a house here in the 1980s while he was still a full‐time EU official. He remains a passionate pro‐European: “I can’t believe we will leave. You’ve got to see it in the sweep of history.” For the past decade, though, he has been enmeshed in less elavated concerns. He got elected to the council as president of a new party, Claro, which was designed to give the residents of Orihuela Costa a say, and he spent four years saying it for them: “Orihuela City was milking this place disgracefully, using the tax they got on new buildings to fund their own developments.”

As is normal when it comes to local planning, the whiff of corruption is never far away. The Costa Blanca News splashed with a report that the public prosecutor was demanding long jail sentences for two ex‐mayors charged with fraud, bribery and extortion. For a while Houliston held the balance of power, but found himself outmaneuvered, and last year missed re‐election by 30 votes, thanks to a combination of expat apathy, registration issues and, so he says, a mysterious shortage of coastal polling stations.

Houliston kindly organised – for my benefit and at short notice – a public meeting in a pizza restaurant, which, due to a shortage of civic facilities, is much used by expat societies. Upstairs a choir was practising. He warned me not to expect more than a dozen people. In fact, 40 turned up. Try getting that for an EU debate in England on a hot afternoon for a guest not called Boris.

An initial vote put the score as 31 for staying in and six for coming out. At least there were some anti‐Europe voices present: I had spent the previous 48 hours trying to find a single one. A German TV crew who were down at the bowls club on a similar mission unearthed one Brexiteer, then discovered to their horror that he was only here on holiday.

The antis mostly made points exported wholesale from the UK. “I’m not too happy about 90m Turks coming to England. We’ll finish up with a Muslim state,” said Geoff Kangley from Sheffield. “It won’t affect us,” said Keith Giles from Surrey, “but I don’t want future generations to lose sovereignty.” “I’m trying not to be selfish here,” insisted Eve Suffield from Cheshire. “My son’s trying to run a business in England and there are so many regulations that are not required by the British government.” One anti referred to being “in this country”, meaning Britain, which seemed both rather sweet and very telling.

But the majority were very aware where their interests lie. The glories of Spanish healthcare were often mentioned. Some talked about the fear that their UK pensions would be frozen (as is now normal for those living outside the EU) and that they would lose out on annual increases. Others touched on the most likely, most terrifying and most immediate double‐whammy they would face: if Britain votes to leave, the pound will go down, making Spain more expensive, but British demand for their houses will disappear, making them effectively unsaleable.

I said I would like to hear a case for Europe that was not just about what was in it for them. A man called Bob Hammond, also from Surrey, then rose (there are a lot of Bobs here, and a lot of Surrey.) He talked about his little suburb, his urbanización. “In the cul‐de‐sac where I live, there are British people, Swedish, German, Norwegian, Irish, some Spanish, someone from Russia. We all get on. English is the common language we speak. That’s why I feel the EU has given me so much, my children so much. And I think of myself as European.” It was the first speech of the meeting to be applauded, which did not quite drown out a comment from the front row. “Yeah, and they’re all living in three houses.”

Down in the bar, one woman was taking a less idealistic but very heartfelt view. “I’m just not sleeping,” Linda Harris told me. “I’m getting four hours a night. Because we have no idea what might happen. I don’t want to have go back to the UK with nothing.” We were joined by a friend of hers from Belfast who refused to give her name. She had

just finished choir practice and was entirely unperturbed by the arguments; she described the referendum as “an academic exercise” and would not bother to vote.

“You’ll be sorry if you’re standing in rags at the quayside on 24 June waiting for the rescue boat,” I said lightly. “I most certainly hope not,” she replied. “We’ve got a concert on the 25th.”

"A referendum road trip among Welsh expats on Costa Blanca", BBC, 15 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Sarah Dickins, BBC Wales economics correspondent)

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk‐politics‐eu‐referendum‐36501812

How will the result of the EU referendum in the UK affect Welsh expats living in Spain?

Many have a vote; those who have been living there for more than 15 years do not.

But vote or not, what will a decision to leave or stay in the EU mean to them?

I took a road trip around the Costa Blanca to find out.

There is an assumption that UK citizens living permanently in Spain are retired.

It is more complex than that. There are many that retired there more than 20 years ago, along with recent retirees and those who are no longer working but too young to collect their state pension.

There is also a growing number of middle‐aged people working in Spain. Not just working in bars, as builders and shop owners but also increasingly with the digital revolution, people of many professions can work remotely in businesses all over the world.

So what is the pull? The biggest is lifestyle. Not just sea and Sangria but a more relaxed, family‐friendly atmosphere, they told me.

HEALTH CARE AND PENSIONS?

If UK citizens are living and working in Spain and pay their taxes they are entitled to full use of the Spanish health care system.

Amongst the many expats I have met in the last few days, I heard only praise for the Spanish health service ‐ they have had new knees, hips, treatment for complex illnesses and also babies.

If UK citizens are entitled to a UK state pension, they get that in Spain and at the moment it is index‐linked to inflation.

Expat pensioners also get free health care and the UK Government pays the Spanish Government £3,000 a year for each UK OAP.

THE VIEW FROM THE BAR

TJ's karaoke bar just off Avenida de Mediterraneo in the middle of Benidorm was set up by Tony and Tracey Jones from Swansea seven years ago.

In the bar, the Welsh flags and Brains beer mats are a reminder of home and most of the customers while I was there were holidaymakers from Port Talbot.

Back home Tony was working as a builder and Tracey worked for 25 years as a taxi driver.

It was the sun and the more relaxed working atmosphere that attracted them and they say they will never go back to live in Wales. Their daughter Katie was 21 when she followed them out and she too never expects to return to live.

Katie gave birth to her son Amir, now aged two, in Alicante hospital. He was only 900 grams when he was born, was in intensive care and spent many weeks in hospital.

Because Katie and her Moroccan partner have been working and paying tax in Spain, Amir's care was free, as will be his education when he starts school.

Amir is now learning to speak Spanish, Arabic and English.

Katie is not sure whether she will vote but is happy in Spain.

"If I could have done this a long time ago, I would've done," she said. "I class myself as Spanish as well, we've got British passports. I've got my husband‐to‐be and we enjoy living here."

COSTA CHOIR ‐ THE MALE VOICE

The Costa Blanca male voice choir is a social gathering for Welsh expats from around the coast, which meets in the back room of a bar at Teulada, half an hour's drive north of Benidorm.

Jeff Thomas and Alun Price came for the sun and lifestyle and will stay on the Costa Blanca whatever happens. But they have worries over arrangements for health and the effect on the exchange rate and pensions.

Alun said: "They would possibly freeze pensions. It's the unknown factors we're concerned about, there are so many conflicting reports coming from both sides."

Jeff added: "And of course our residential status ‐ will we be illegal immigrants? There are lots of issues."

Gareth Jones is voting to stay in "for selfish reasons" but would vote Brexit if he was back in Wales.

"All the four countries would be better off ‐ I think we can cope, there'll be a blip but in the end it will even itself out."

Gareth Pugh said: "A lot of people I speak to in the UK are unsure, but I've got a feeling people prefer the devil they know.

"It's more fear of the unknown, in terms of trade deals, world conflict, that sort of thing."

THE GREEN, GREEN GRASS...

Drive inland from Gata de Gorgos and Ondarra and you come to the village of Benidoleig.

Traditionally it is a farming area ‐ vines, almonds, cherries and oranges fill the valley.

But increasingly over the last few decades people from many other European countries and beyond have moved there.

It is a mixed community not an expat ghetto.

Above the village I find El Cid's Bowling Club. It is noon, 30C (86F) and 45 expats, dressed in the sport's full white uniform, are competing hard against each other. Amongst them a handful of Welsh players.

Linda and Ieuan Davies, originally of Cardiff, have been living in the Jalon valley since 2012. They are not working and not old enough to get a state pension. They pay the Spanish authorities €60 a month.

For that they get a health card which gives them and their dependent free healthcare but they do pay for prescriptions.

Both are worried about the result of the referendum. They have both voted by post and voted to remain.

Linda says it is not for what she calls "selfish reasons" but rather that she thinks EU countries are better together and she wants to see the UK stay as part of that group. She says she is also worried about the future.

Their UK occupational pensions are calculated in pounds and so if the exchange rate falls that hits their pocket.

I also spoke to Jeff and Ann Eslick, who decided three years ago to move back home to Lincolnshire and have now sold their house in Spain.

"The EU just seems to be a group of people who aren't taking into consideration the people they're serving," said Ann.

"I feel we have to take that back and make our own decisions. It's got too big and we're not controlling ourselves."

Jeff added: "It's all been scaremongering. The big industries we had ‐ steel, iron, shipbuilding and transport have disappeared because of cheap imports. I believe they'll come back under our own government."

The most popular countries where Britons live abroad

Australia 1,289,396 residents born in the United Kingdom

United States 714,999

Canada 607,377

South Africa 318,536

Spain (EU) 308,821

New Zealand 265,014

Ireland (EU) 254,761

France (EU) 185,344

Germany (EU) 103,352

Italy (EU) 64,986

Source: United Nations, 2015

In a nutshell: the argument for leaving the EU

Given the importance of UK tourists in the EU and in particular to Spain, it is likely the UK government would find it relatively easy to renegotiate similar privileges to the ones British tourists, workers and expat pensioners currently enjoy.

If Britain leaves, the argument is that it will force the EU to change for the better ‐ and will benefit those expats who carry on living in Spain.

In a nutshell: the argument for staying in the EU

Although expats who currently live there are expected to have "acquired rights" to remain under international law and to own property, there are no guarantees over benefits, pensions and medical treatment and their continuation would depend on new agreements with the UK. Also if free movement ends, it could mean applying for visas to live or work there in future.

A NEW GENERATION

It is not just retired people in the expat community. The digital revolution means for many professionals they can work almost anywhere, have meetings on Skype and fly to most places from Alicante when they have to meet clients or colleagues face to face.

This means there are young families living in Spain and the Lady Elizabeth School near Benissa, a few miles from Teulada, has more than 1,000 pupils from 26 different nations.

It is one of 15 international schools on the Costa Blanca. Exams are sat in English, Spanish and Valenciano, one of Spain's regional languages.

Economics teacher Howard Westcott said: "There's a whole new wave coming ‐ there's a caricature of expats, that we come for the cheap beer and karaoke nights, but there's a whole generation that come for job opportunities, setting up their own businesses."

He said for the self‐employed it could be complicated to start with on the Costa while they pay a significant contribution to the state to be covered for health and social care.

"I run as business as well as teach, and I pay my taxes. Yes, the sun is lovely but it's not why I came here. I came for the opportunity to teach in a wider environment.

"The nature of work has changed. People don't have to physically be where their workplace is. A lot of families I know work online and can travel abroad from here. You may as well be based here where the weather is nice and it's a cheaper economy."

The question on the minds of many that I spoke to was if the UK left the EU, what would happen to the agreements in free health and education that are in place now.

Remain supporters fear those benefits would disappear while many of those who want the UK to leave say that British employees and customers are too important to the Spanish economy for Spain to want to make life difficult for them.

At this stage it is impossible to know what will happen and what the reaction will be of Spain and other governments across the EU if Britain votes to leave.

Mr Westcott said there were questions and he would consider taking Spanish citizenship when he was eligible if he had to.

"Students are asking me will I need a visa to travel to university, the things you naturally get with freedom of movement? No‐one has convinced me yet with the arguments for coming out, what are the advantages."

I certainly found dismay among many Spaniards about why the UK is even holding a referendum. There is disquiet in Spain too about the bureaucracy of the European Commission, about whether its economic policies are steered to benefit France and Germany most and also whether decision making in the EU is too centralised.

But generally in Spain the feeling expressed to me was that change should and can happen from within the EU, not by leaving it.

"Un informe advierte de que el Brexit lastraría la exportación y el turismo", La Verdad, 14 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/201606/14/informe‐advierte‐brexit‐lastraria‐20160614024549‐v.html

La depreciación de la libra sobre el euro reduciría el poder adquisitivo de los ingleses, que representan el 35% de los extranjeros que visitan anualmente la Comunitat Valenciana

Un informe de la Cámara de Comercio de Valencia señala que la salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea (Brexit) tendría consecuencias negativas para la economía de la Comunitat, ya que la depreciación de la libra sobre el euro encarecería los productos producidos en la región, que serían menos competitivos en el mercado inglés.

Además, el posible incremento de barreras arancelarias y no arancelarias dificultaría los trámites y costes de exportar al Reino Unido y provocaría un aumento del precio de los productos valencianos exportados o reducción de los márgenes de las empresas.

Estas son las principales conclusiones del informe elaborado por la Cámara de Valencia sobre las consecuencias que tendría el Brexit si sale adelante para la economía valenciana.

Las exportaciones valencianas al Reino Unido alcanzaron en 2015 casi 3.000 millones de euros, duplicando la cifra de sólo tres años antes. Según la Cámara, este dinamismo en las ventas en el mercado inglés puede verse negativamente afectado por los efectos mencionados, sobre todo en los productos agroalimentarios (frescos o procesados), elementos de transportes y sus componentes, maquinaria mecánica y eléctrica, productos cerámicos y calzado.

El Brexit tendría además consecuencias sobre el turismo ya que España es uno de los principales destinos del turista inglés. En 2015, 15,7 millones de ingleses visitaron España, de los cuales más de 2.700.000 lo hicieron en la Comunitat. No en vano, representan el 35 % del total de los turistas extranjeros que visitan la región.

Los efectos negativos sobre la actividad turística en la Comunitat vendrían como consecuencia de la pérdida de poder adquisitivo de los ingleses, con la reducción del gasto por persona y el estancamiento de la inversión inmobiliaria para el turismo residencial.

La provincia de Alicante cuenta además con una de las zonas residenciales de turistas ingleses más importante de España. El coste la depreciación de la libra encarecería el coste de venir y de invertir en España, según se recoge en el informe de organismo cameral.

"Brit expats in Spain stunned and fearful after Brexit win", The Local, 24 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia http://www.thelocal.es/20160624/british‐expats‐stunned‐after‐uk‐votes‐for‐brexit

The UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum yesterday, immediately sending the value of sterling plummeting and leaving British expats in Spain stunned and concerned about their future.

Britain has voted to leave the EU, by an expected margin of 52 percent to 48 percent, sending shockwaves around Europe.

After it initially appeared that the "Remain" campaign was on course for victory, the results that drifted in throughout the early hours of Friday morning, proved that many opinion polls, the bookmakers and political experts had got it wrong.

The result send the value of the pound crashing, recording it's biggest drop in over 30 years. Financial forecasters believe it will tumble even further throughout the day.

While the result will have major bearing on the future of Europe and on the futures of Britain's political parties, it will also have a major impact on the lives of many Brits living throughout the EU.

The fall in the value of the pound will have severely hit the value of pensions ‐ often the only form of income for British expats and may make it unaffordable for many to stay abroad.

“I just can’t believe it, what will happen to the UK now and to our rights as Brits living and working abroad?” said Mary Reid, a primary school teacher from the Midlands living in Madrid.

“One of the first things I am going to do is consult a lawyer and see where I stand on getting Spanish nationality,” said the mother‐of‐one.

Carrie Frais, the Barcelona‐based founder of Mum Abroad Spain voiced the fears of many expat mothers who had chosen to bring up their children in Spain.

"I am truly shocked by the outcome of the referendum. Speaking on behalf of many British mothers who have chosen Spain as their adoptive country we know how important the UK is to the livelihoods and jobs of those working in the tourism and property sector, not to mention all the other thousands of industries which have gained from British investment here," she told The Local.

"The weakening of the pound is bound to have a significant and immediate effect and no‐one can be sure of other restrictions imposed on UK investment in Spain in the future, not to mention the future of British people living and working here. It is indeed worrying times," she said.

"I am shocked at the result. Too many brexit voters are living in the past. They should be looking to the future, thinking about our children," Lisa Sadleir who runs a relocation business in Malaga told The Local.

"We won't be directly affected here as we have been legal residents for many years. However I think many expats, who have been living here, without the correct paperwork will be very nervous, and rightly so.

"Our decision now is whether to swap our non EU British passports for Spanish ones," she added.

"I'm a little concerned about my future as resident here but US citizens and people from many other countries seem to get by so it's probably just a fear of change," said Simon Harris, who has lived in Catalonia for 28 years.

"We have two years of negotiations before the consequences of Brexit really kick in and I'm confident that the rights of long‐term residents will be borne in mind, if only because any kind of mistreatment would provoke a tit‐for‐tat response against Spanish citizens in the UK.

"If the worst comes to worst, I might have to make an honest woman out of my long‐standing partner or apply for Spanish citizenship, both of which are appealing options," he said.

"I am in total shock at the result. It's a sad, sad day for Britain and only time will tell what the consequences of this will be," Jane Spivey, who runs language academy Two Bird Languages, told The Local.

"I'm devastated by the news that my home country has voted for racism, isolation and has thrown aways years of stability and peace," said Natasha Mason of Lets Education Training.

Across the south of Spain, expats were waking up to an uncertain future, with many retirees who live off a British pension realizing their spending power was instantly affected.

“Expats living in Spain are now facing an uncertain future for sure,” said Maura Hillen, who in May 2015 was elected as a councillor in Albox.

“I don't think that anyone can predict what will happen next at this early stage but the most immediate impact will be volatility in the markets which will affect exchange rates and therefore the value of our spending power in Spain.

“We will need to wait a little longer to find out what happens in terms of access to health care, our tax status etc and I assume that UK citizens will lose the right to vote in municipal elections in Spain which means that any influence we held in our local town halls will come to an end.”

One of the biggest fears was the effect the Brexit win would have on British investment in Spain.

"El brexit y el turismo residencial en España", Cinco Días, 23 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Opinión (Jacobo Cestino, director general del Grupo La Zagaleta en España)

http://cincodias.com/cincodias/2016/06/23/economia/1466697149_306563.html

La devaluación de la libra o los nuevos acuerdos sobre prestaciones sociales hará que muchos ‘expats’ regresen

La posibilidad de que los británicos abandonen la UE es una fuente de Preocupación para el sector turístico residencial español. Mientras España, según Global Counsel, se encuentra por debajo de la media de los países de la Unión respecto a su negativa exposición al brexit, el impacto negativo puede ser enorme por la particularidad del mercado inmobiliario o turístico residencial.

Históricamente el Reino Unido ha sido el principal mercado emisor de compradores extranjeros de vivienda en España. En este sentido, y de acuerdo a las cifras de Naciones Unidas y del Gobierno británico, aproximadamente 800.000 ingleses viven en España, la mitad, de forma permanente (expats), y otro tanto, durante temporadas cortas o vacaciones. En definitiva, períodos suficientemente estables como para disponer de una vivienda en propiedad en nuestro país. Los últimos tres años, y siguiendo la tendencia histórica, Reino Unido ha vuelto a liderar (al menos en Andalucía) el ranking de las nacionalidades extranjeras de compradores de viviendas. La relación entre la recuperación del mercado inmobiliario, en especial el de la vivienda de alta gama, y el cliente del Reino Unido es un hecho contrastado.

La recuperación de este mercado en España lleva varios semestres tendiendo a su consolidación en volumen y en precio, aunque a ritmo más lento. En este sentido, el producto residencial del rango alto de la curva, el de lujo, ha resistido con bastante buena salud los años de recesión, en contraste con el de otros tipos de vivienda. Cierto es que ayudado por factores externos como las reformas legislativas fiscales e hipotecarias de algunos países de nuestra competencia. Tal y como puso de relieve un informe de Christie’s Real Estate, “el mercado de viviendas de lujo se mantiene aislado de los flujos de dinero y los cambios políticos, ya que estas preocupaciones son menos propensas a determinar la compra de una casa‐trofeo para la población ultra high‐net‐worth individuals (UHNW) de todo el mundo. Hoy hay más millonarios que antes de la crisis y el número mundial ha crecido más del 55% desde 2000”. A su vez, el informe del FMI, Managing Real Estate Booms and Busts, en agosto de 2012 observó: “el sector inmobiliario es uno de los depósitos más importante de la riqueza en la economía. Además, la mayoría de las personas suelen tener el dinero en viviendas en vez de en acciones”.

Si, como han mostrado los últimos datos del sector turístico, los mercados tradicionales (británico, alemán y escandinavo) van a seguir tirando de la demanda, parece obvio deducir que un potencial brexit tendría consecuencias muy perjudiciales para un sector que aún encuentra dificultades de política interna para ser competitivo. En este sentido, algunos de los obstáculos con los que se encuentran los potenciales compradores de residencias de gama media y alta al invertir en España –inseguridad jurídica producida por la deficiente legislación sobre prevención de blanqueo de capitales, dificultades burocráticas respecto al NIE, permisos de residencia, gestiones locales relacionadas con Urbanismo y Obras, y las nuevas obligaciones fiscales de los residentes extranjeros– podrían considerarse como menores en comparación al escenario al que nos enfrentaríamos tras la salida del Reino Unido.

Una exagerada devaluación de la libra frente al euro, así como la necesidad de nuevos acuerdos bilaterales sobre beneficios y prestaciones sociales existentes (sanitarios, fundamentalmente) provocará que muchos de los expats cambien su lugar de residencia o vuelvan a Reino Unido. Esto tendría un efecto multiplicador en cuanto al crecimiento de la oferta y divisor respecto a los precios del mercado secundario. No podemos obviar la menor influencia que estos residentes ejercerían sobre la pequeña y mediana economía local, aun permaneciendo en nuestro país, pero con su moneda devaluada.

Hay que mencionar, por su influencia en un área tan estratégica para el turismo residencial, familiar, deportivo y de alta gama como Sotogrande, las consecuencias que para Gibraltar tendría el brexit. La limitación, o incluso la no concesión de permisos de residencia, así como las restricciones al ejercicio de actividades laborales y profesionales en España a los ciudadanos gibraltareños tendría un efecto negativo para los que, aparentando ser residentes allí, tienen su domicilio o centro de trabajo en el Campo de Gibraltar y las urbanizaciones de lujo de Sotogrande. En este escenario el Gobierno español tendría la iniciativa, pero antes de eso, los británicos tienen la palabra.

"U.K. expats In Spain nervously watch brexit balloting", NPR, 23 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Lauren Frayer)

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/06/23/483197685/u‐k‐expats‐in‐spain‐nervously‐watch‐brexit‐balloting

The local radio broadcasts are in English, reporting British news. Traditional English pubs fly the Union Jack and serve pints of ale. If you're hungry, there are fish and chips shops, and full English breakfasts with heaps of baked beans. Supermarkets stock Yorkshire tea and Marmite. Feeling sporty? Head over to the cricket club, or go lawn bowling.

You might be fooled into thinking this is Britain. But it's Spain's Mediterranean coast — home to the largest U.K. expat community in Europe. At least 13 million Britons visit Spain each year, and hundreds of thousands have settled here.

Immigration has been a big part of the debate in today's European Union referendum in Britain. The EU allows people to travel, live and work freely throughout its 28 countries. That's allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants to settle in Britain. At the same time, about as many Britons have fanned out across the rest of Europe. Many of them are sun‐seeking retirees.

"There are oodles of golf courses, and of course we've got the beaches, and the sea life," says Nigel Hopkins, a choir director who moved from England six years ago, and now conducts the Melody Makers, an all‐British choir on Spain's Costa Blanca. "It's cheaper to eat out than eat at home. It's everything you could wish for, basically."

As EU citizens, expats like Hopkins can draw their U.K. state pensions, with annual cost‐of‐living adjustments, and get public health care through the Spanish system. But if Britain exits the EU, that could change.

"It'd be a nightmare for us. We'd lose our healthcare," says fellow Briton Martin Foulcer, between games at La Siesta Bowls Club, a British lawn bowling club in Torrevieja, on the coast. "If we come out, our houses will be halved in price as well. It'll cost us thousands. And our pensions could be frozen."

Like many Britons abroad, Foulcer cast a postal ballot in advance, in favor of remaining in the E.U. He admits he'd vote differently if he still lived in England. He thinks there are too many immigrants there.

Fact is, the EU has created lots of economic migrants. Why not move south to Spain, where life is cheaper, and your pension buys more?

In many neighborhoods on Spain's Mediterranean coast, British retirees live alongside half a dozen other nationalities, mostly from northern, sun‐starved Europe — Germans, Dutch, Norwegians. Such arrangements are a legacy of the EU, with its free movement of people and globalization.

But Brexit could force the Britons here to uproot and retreat.

"If the [British] pound goes down a lot, we'll probably have to go home," says Steve Perry, who retired to Benidorm, a resort town in Spain's Alicante province, 10 years ago.

"The airfares are going to go up as well. Nobody's saying this. All they're worried about back home is immigration," says Perry's wife Elaine.

U.K. expats feel left out of the debate, and they're a sizable group. If a large portion of the 2.2 million British expats in Europe were to pack up and go home, it could hurt their host countries' economies — and strain the U.K. health service, since many of them are elderly and need lots of care.

About half of U.K. expats abroad registered to vote in Thursday's EU referendum. That's three times as many as voted in the last UK general election.

But many are frustrated because they're ineligible. U.K. electoral rules say Britons who've lived abroad more than 15 years cannot vote. A British World War II veteran who's long lived in Italy, along with a U.K. lawyer in Brussels, sued to overturn those rules, arguing that the EU referendum profoundly affects Britons who live in Europe. They lost.

"It's being decided [instead] by people who don't go out of England, who've got a mentality of 'Little Britain,'" says Jan Holden, who has lived on Spain's Costa Blanca for 16 years, and thus is ineligible to vote. "For us, we're Europeans. I'm an expat. My life is very tied in here, and I dread to think if I'm forced to go back, because there's no health care or social services for us."

Spain, for its part, desperately wants to keep them.

Spaniards are among the strongest E.U. opponents of the Brexit. They've seen how the union has boosted economic development in their own country, and they have loyalty to it. A recent survey shows 74‐percent of Spaniards want more integration with Europe, not less.

Many of the foreigners who've moved to Spain under EU rules aren't competing for local jobs, because they're retired. Instead, they've been a boon to the local economy, where unemployment tops 20‐percent.

"I eke out a living thanks to them," says Carmelo Varas, a realtor in Torrevieja. "Last year, I sold about 100 houses, and 98 of them were to foreigners."

He says many of his clients are waiting for the results of today's referendum, before they invest here. Like everyone on this coast, Varas watches exchange rates daily. If the British pound falls, so does his business.

"El Brexit dispara en Mijas las peticiones de empadronamiento", La Opinión de Málaga, 22 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/costa‐sol‐occidental/2016/06/22/brexit‐dispara‐mijas‐peticiones‐empadronamiento/858472.html

Cientos de británicos se interesan por el proceso legal para poder adquirir en breve la nacionalidad española

Las reacciones en la Costa del Sol conforme se acerca la fecha de mañana jueves, marcada en rojo en las Islas Británicas por la consulta ciudadana sobre el abandono o no de la Unión Europea, se suceden dentro de la propia comunidad de residentes británicos. En esta ocasión es el Ayuntamiento de Mijas el que ha informado acerca de una auténtica avalancha de peticiones de información sobre la posibilidad de que cualquier persona de nacionalidad británica pueda adquirir en un plazo máximo de dos años el pasaporte español.

Es otra prueba más, unida a las de estos últimos días y recogidas en estas mismas páginas, del tremendo nerviosismo con el que muchos ciudadanos nacidos en las Islas van a afrontar la votación que mañana deberá determinar si la Unión Europea se queda sin uno de sus principales socios en materia económica y estratégica. «No sabemos lo que va a pasar, por lo que es normal que estemos inquietos y le preguntemos al Ayuntamiento si lo que suceda puede tener alguna solución mediante la adquisición de la nacionalidad española», señalaba ayer Margaret Louise –residente en La Cala de Mijas desde hace casi dos décadas–.

El Departamento de Extranjeros mijeño remarcó ayer que con sus más de 11.000 ciudadanos británicos empadronados, el término municipal de esta localidad costera es el que alberga un mayor porcentaje de residentes de este país. No es de extrañar que con tal continente de ciudadanos nativos de las Islas, muchos de los más nerviosos respecto a su futuro hayan preguntado al Consistorio sobre alternativas a la hora de mantener sus derechos sanitarios si el Brexit se produce.

La situación también preocupa a turistas británicos que acaban de viajar a la Costa del Sol. Relataban ayer que si cae en picado la libra esterlina «puede que en un futuro sea mucho más complicado viajar para una semana a Málaga». Esta circunstancia también ha quedado recogida en las dependencias turísticas de otros municipios, como

es el caso de Nerja o Marbella. Este temor por el futuro del turismo de origen británico se ha extendido entre responsables políticos costasoleños y empresarios que ya planean estrategias compensatorias.

"Británicos se plantean la nacionalidad española ante el posible triunfo del Brexit", Cadena SER, 21 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://cadenaser.com/emisora/2016/06/21/ser_malaga/1466513463_321316.html

Algunos ayuntamientos están ya asesorando a ingleses empadronados en sus localidades

Varios ayuntamientos de la provincia de Málaga han comenzado a asesorar y a tramitar las solicitudes de británicos interesados en pedir la nacionalidad española si finalmente el jueves gana el "brexit" en el Reino Unido.

Los casi 65.000 británicos empadronados en esta provincia seguirán muy pendientes el referéndum en el que se decidirá la posible salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea. Varios ayuntamientos ya han recibido la petición de ingleses que quieren tramitar la nacionalidad española ante las consecuencias de una posible salida de su país.

La gran mayoría de los que pueden optar (siempre que lleven menos de quince años fuera del Reino Unido) ya han ejercido su derecho a participar en la consulta por correo. Philips lleva una década viviendo en la localidad de la Viñuela, en la comarca de la Axarquía. Allí es concejal por Ciudadanos. Ya ha votado. Quiere la salida de la Unión Europea "porque hay mucha corrupción" en este organismo, tal como afirma.

El problema para los británicos si salen del Reino Unido radica en la tarjeta sanitaria, sus pensiones...y las consecuencias económicas que la salida pueda suponer para mercados como España donde los británicos son el pirmer mercado turístico.

En Mijas hay más diez mil ingleses empadronados. Es la localidad de la provincia con mayor número de británicos. Aquí cuentan el único servicio de atención a los extranjeros. Algunos ya han pedido información para tramitar la nacionalidad española.

Entre tanto, los expertos insisten en las posibles consecuencias económicos de la salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea. Según Ricardo Bocanegra, presidente de la asociación malagueña, "todos los trabajadores ingleses en España tendrán que iniciar los trámites para poder mantener su puesto de empleo, eso puede ser un caos".

"Británicos residentes en Costa del Sol, expectantes ante el posible «brexit»", Abc, 21 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://sevilla.abc.es/andalucia/malaga/sevi‐britanicos‐residentes‐costa‐expectantes‐ante‐posible‐brexit‐201606212205_noticia.html

El presidente de la Federación de Asociaciones de Extranjeros percibe una mezcla entre preocupación y pasotismo

Los británicos residentes en la Costa del Sol, una de las zonas preferidas por estos ciudadanos para contar con una vivienda en España, se muestran «expectantes» ante una hipotética salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea («Brexit») y sus posibles consecuencias.

El presidente de la Federación de Asociaciones de Extranjeros de la Costa del Sol (Faecosol), Ricardo Bocanegra, ha manifestado a Efe que los británicos residentes en la zona aguardan los resultados de la consulta y hay una «mezcla» entre preocupación y pasotismo entre ellos.

Bocanegra, que está al frente de una gestoría que atiende a extranjeros en Marbella, se ha mostrado convencido de que si triunfa el «brexit» en el referéndum, el viernes habrá numerosas consultas relativas a los permisos de residencia o trabajo.

A su juicio, la salida del Reino Unido de la UE sería «muy perjudicial» tanto para los británicos residentes en la Costa del Sol como para España, ya que una eventual devaluación de la libra respecto al euro afectaría negativamente al turismo.

Todo depende, no obstante, de la «actitud» que adopte la UE, ya que si es de «represalia» hacia el Reino Unido, podría adoptar «medidas muy estrictas», lo que ocasionaría un «caos enorme», mientras que también podría optar por una posición «amistosa», ha indicado Bocanegra.

Además, ha apuntado que el Reino Unido podría llegar a un acuerdo con la Unión Europea o bien alcanzar acuerdos bilaterales con otros países respecto a la normativa que se aplica a los británicos fuera de sus fronteras.

Ha explicado que una de las vías para poder obtener la nacionalidad española es acreditar diez años de residencia continuada, un requisito que muchos británicos en la Costa del Sol no cumplen porque pasan largas temporadas en su país.

"El 'Brexit' crea dudas en la Costa del Sol", Málaga Hoy, 20 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (A. Recio, E. Moreno y M. Cortés)

http://www.malagahoy.es/malaga/Brexit‐crea‐dudas‐Costa‐Sol_0_1036996809.html

Expertos creen que si el Reino Unido deja la UE se podría reducir la compra de viviendas en Málaga.

Este jueves el Reino Unido votará si sale de la Unión Europea ‐el ya famoso Brexit‐ o si se queda. Esta decisión, lógicamente, corresponde solo al pueblo británico pero su incidencia es internacional y, en este contexto, la Costa del Sol se juega mucho porque los británicos son la primera colonia extranjera en la provincia de Málaga, el principal mercado turístico foráneo y lideran la compraventa de viviendas en este destino.

Si los ingleses apuestan por la ruptura con el resto de Europa, los expertos subrayan que, a largo plazo, probablemente no tendrá un gran impacto en la economía malagueña pero sí puede haber cambios importantes en el corto y medio plazo. ¿Por qué? Si se independiza, se prevé que lo primero que harán será devaluar la libra y eso provocará que a los ingleses que residan en la Costa del Sol ‐como lógicamente en el resto de países que tengan el euro‐ les vaya a salir todo más caro. Si han adquirido una vivienda en Málaga con una hipoteca en euros, deberán abonar más cada mes, así como los distintos recibos (luz, agua, comunidad de vecinos...). Les perjudicará el tipo de cambio a la hora de comer en los restaurantes, alquilar coches... En definitiva, cualquier cosa en euros porque su moneda valdrá menos. Eso por no hablar de que ya no podrán acceder a servicios como la sanidad en las mismas condiciones o que tendrán que realizar más trámites a la hora de ir a cualquier país de la UE.

Leonardo Cromstedt, director en España del grupo inmobiliario Keller Williams ‐cuya sede en este país está en Marbella‐ cree que el Brexit sería "una catástrofe" a corto plazo para la Costa del Sol, aunque confía en que al final los británicos no opten por esta opción. De momento, asegura que "hay una incertidumbre real porque el dinero es miedoso" y subraya que se están paralizando ventas inmobiliarias en la provincia a la espera de ver qué ocurre finalmente este jueves. "Estamos recibiendo muchos clientes británicos, pero estos días solo miran y no compran porque nadie se quiere aventurar a pagar 200.000 euros por una casa sin saber cómo se te va a quedar la hipoteca dentro de una semana, por lo que hay bastante prudencia", expone. Ricardo Arranz, hotelero y presidente de la Federación Andaluza de Urbanizadores y Turismo Residencial, es, por ahora, más optimista. "El Brexit, en principio, no es positivo, pero tampoco sabemos hasta qué punto puede ser negativo. Los ingleses siempre han sido muy activos para crecer y nos han dado muchas clases en los dos últimos siglos", afirma Arranz, quien hace hincapié en la importancia de la colonia británica en Málaga y en su apego tradicional a esta tierra. "Para ellos es muy cómodo viajar a Málaga, Canarias o Baleares porque tienen muchas conexiones aéreas directas. Los ingleses son muy pragmáticos y no creo que vaya a influir en el turismo", añade.

Si hay Brexit, los británicos van a tener divididos el corazón y la cartera. La Costa del Sol es su destino preferido para pasar las vacaciones y para residir temporadas desde hace décadas, pero todo tiene un precio. Ya se ha notado con la crisis y el Brexit puede ser un inconveniente más. En 2013, por ejemplo, había 76.931 personas con nacionalidad británica residiendo en Málaga y el año pasado el padrón contabilizó 56.128, un 27% menos. Mijas, Fuengirola y Benalmádena son los tres municipios con más británicos censados. "La salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea afectaría sin duda a la economía de los británicos, que son nuestros turistas más importantes y numerosos y, por lo tanto, también se vería perjudicada la economía de la Costa del Sol. Es evidente que, en estos tiempos de globalización, Europa suma y es más fuerte si está unida que si se va desmembrando, sobre todo si se trata de un miembro tan importante", afirma Francisco Javier Lara, decano del Colegio de Abogados de Málaga, quien resalta que "desde el punto de vista legal se abren muchas incógnitas, ya que habría que revisar el modo en que los británicos llegan a España y cómo acceden a los servicios sociales. Esta nueva situación podría afectar a la compraventa de viviendas y a las inversiones por parte de británicos en la provincia".

Hay incertidumbre y nadie tiene claro qué pasará. En el despacho de abogados Martínez‐Echevarría, por ejemplo, su socio director, Vicente Morató, considera que "aunque teóricamente el tema del Brexit podría afectar por la

incertidumbre, en la práctica vemos en nuestro despacho una petición creciente de asesoramiento de clientes británicos".

El presidente de los empresarios malagueños y andaluces, Javier González de Lara, señala que el Brexit no sería positivo para nadie. Ni para los británicos, que serían los más afectados porque perderían poder adquisitivo, se generaría más inflación y distorsiones económicas internas hasta el punto que dejarían de ser la capital financiera europea, ni para el resto de Europa porque, a corto plazo, habría caída en las bolsas, aumento de la prima de riesgo y volatilidad. Además, los países tendrían que abonar el dinero que ahora mismo aporta Gran Bretaña a la UE. Y eso son, proporcionalmente hablando, muchos millones de euros. González de Lara recuerda que "España tiene superávit comercial con Gran Bretaña y donde más se puede notar la incertidumbre es en turismo y servicios, por la pérdida de capacidad de consumo de los británicos".

En cualquier caso, el presidente de la CEA y la CEM recalca que, aún en el caso hipotético de que ganara el Brexit, "la salida de Europa no sería automática, sino que se abriría un proceso de negociación y podría haber una permanencia en otras condiciones, por lo que no es tan fácil marcharse". El máximo representante de la patronal andaluza cree que una supuesta salida sería "inoportuna y nadie resultaría inmune", a la vez que considera que, desde un punto de vista político e histórico "no tendría demasiada lógica" porque Gran Bretaña fue un socio fundador de la Unión Europea.

Phil Nutall no ha perdido la costumbre de revisar diariamente la prensa británica para estar al corriente de lo que se cuece en su país de origen. Pese a que ya son 28 años los que lleva viviendo en Mijas y habla un perfecto español, cada mañana acude al quiosco para seguir las novedades de la campaña sobre la permanencia del Reino Unido en la Unión Europea, ahora suspendida por el reciente asesinato de la diputada laborista Jo Cox. "Me parece horroroso que se haya llegado a un extremo como este", lamentó.

Nutall, que hace casi tres décadas dejó atrás el frío de Manchester por el calor de la Costa, es solo uno de los cientos de residentes procedentes del Reino Unido afincados en el municipio y que afirma estar a favor de la permanencia. "Estoy seguro de que la economía británica se vería perjudicada y que bajaría la libra", señala este hostelero. De caer, no duda de que afectaría directamente al comercio. "Para los españoles que quieran viajar al Reino Unido el cambio de moneda les podría beneficiar porque sería más barato, en cambio, al turista que venga aquí le costará más o, lo que es probable, gastará menos", apunta.

Aunque no todos lo tienen tan claro. Jason Godwin, procedente de Glossop, un pueblo a medio camino entre Manchester y Shieldfield, asegura que hay un "desconocimiento total" acerca de las consecuencias que podría tener su salida de la zona euro. "Creo que las personas van a votar usando sus corazones en vez de su mente", comenta. A este respecto, este joven empresario que hace años decidió cambiar los ordenadores por una máquina de función con la que trabaja en su fábrica de chocolate en Mijas, afirma estar a favor de la permanencia. "Creo que Inglaterra está mejor dentro que fuera. Tras más de 24 años viviendo en España para mí ha sido algo muy positivo porque estando dentro todo súper fácil, sin papeles ni cambios de moneda de ningún tipo"

La misma opinión comparte Natalie, a quien le sorprende "que haya mucha gente que realmente quiera salir. Lo veo muy egoísta y los argumentos me parecen absurdos", defiende. "A la gente que está viviendo fuera creo que le va a ocasionar problemas sobre todo de índole burocrática", añade esta joven inglesa tras cinco años viviendo Mijas.

"Quiero que mi país esté fuera con todo mi corazón"

Linda Zima, es una de las personas que a la pregunta "¿Debe el Reino Unido permanecer como miembro de la Unión Europea o debe abandonar la Unión Europea?", contestaría "abandonar". "Quiero a Inglaterra fuera con todo mi corazón, no confío en la Comisión Europea, nosotros no hemos votado a esos parlamentarios", expone. Su voto lo tiene claro, sin embargo, no podrá ejercerlo porque lleva viviendo en Nerja 33 años. "Deseo con todas mis fuerzas poder votar pero no puedo. Considero que sería mejor salir de la Unión Europea por la falta de seguridad que hay en ella", argumenta esta mujer para quien "existe mucha corrupción en toda Europa". A Linda tampoco le convence las políticas de emigración que se están acordando en el seno del organismo y cree que deberían ser reguladas por cada país. Esta británica del norte de la isla es también muy crítica con la forma que se está planteando la campaña del referéndum. "Lo peor es que están metiendo miedo con el Brexit, y eso no es bueno para nadie", se queja Linda quien al respecto de las coberturas sanitarias cree que serían las mismas "puesto que es mi país quien paga al gobierno español cuando hago uso de ellas". Otra cosa que irrita a Linda de la campaña es que, a su juicio, "sólo

sirve para escuchar a los políticos" y no "para que ellos escuchen a los ciudadanos". También le subleva que no la dejen acudir a las urnas. "La gente de otro país puede votar y yo no tengo derecho. Estoy encantada con Málaga y su gente pero no me siento española. Aunque tengo aquí mi casa siempre vives pensando en tu país. Me siento una patriota", reconoce.

"Los jubilados británicos residentes en España temen perder dinero y derechos si hay 'Brexit'", RTVE, 17 | 06 | 2016 – Reportaje

http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160617/jubilados‐britanicos‐residentes‐espana‐temen‐perder‐dinero‐derechos‐si‐hay‐brexit/1359181.shtml

Sol, calidad de vida y buena atención sanitaria. Los jubilados británicos tienen claro por qué eligen España para pasar su retiro. Oficialmente, unos 300.000 ciudadanos están registrados pero, en realidad, hay cientos de miles de británicos viviendo en nuestro país. De hecho, hay más británicos expatriados en España que en cualquier otro país europeo. A los mayores de 65 años lo que más les preocupa, sobre todo, es: ¿Qué pasará con su pensión y con su derecho de residencia si el Reino Unido abandona la UE?

The Times publicó hace unos meses que cada día unos 100 ciudadanos abandonan España ante la incertidumbre de que sus pensiones se devalúen y no puedan acceder a la sanidad si se marchan del club comunitario. Puede que esta cifra sea un poco exagerada pero lo cierto es que muchos pensionistas británicos podrían estar pensando en vender sus propiedades y regresar a casa. La marcha de estos jubilados también supondría la ruina para inmobiliarias de la costa especializadas en la venta de pisos a extranjeros.

"Hay muchos británicos que viven en España con una pequeña pensión pero si tenemos que pagar nuestras medicinas, si debemos pagar nuestros médicos creo que mucha gente tendrá que regresar al Reino Unido. Me parece estúpido salir de la Unión", afirma Patricia Dennison, de 80 años, que abandonó su Luton natal hace 11 años para vivir en la costa del sol.

Es vecina de Peter Harrison y su mujer. Uno de los muchos matrimonios de ancianos que se ha instalado en casas prefabricadas del camping "Saydo Park", ubicado en Mollina a unos 60 kilométros de Málaga. De sus cinco mil habitantes, casi mil son británicos que no hablan español. No lo necesitan porque estos jubilados se relaciona con otros jubilados de las islas británicas y tienen acceso a supermercados, pubs y tiendas donde trabajan otros británicos. "Si salimos de la UE, ‐dice Peter‐ podríamos perder el incremento de nuestras pensiones al vivir fuera del Reino Unido. Con lo cual también tendríamos más dificultades a la hora de viajar".

Elaine McParland hace 25 años que reside en Salou (Tarragona): "Me siento más española y catalana que británica". No podrá votar en el referéndum del 23 de junio porque la ley británica prohíbe participar en las urnas a los que lleven más de 15 años viviendo fuera. Es la gerente del restaurante Olivers donde atiende cada día a numerosos turistas británicos. "No sabemos qué va a pasar realmente", asegura Elaine. Cree que muchos de sus compatriotas que viven y trabajan en la costa verán recortados sus derechos sociales si el Reino Unido sale de la UE. "Pienso que tendrán que renunciar a todos los beneficios de los que disfrutamos ahora por ser parte de la Unión", asegura.

Sentado en la terraza del Olivers, está David Smith junto a esposa. Han venido de vacaciones a ver a la hermana de él: "De momento no tengo mucha información y todavía no se qué votaré", afirma David. "El gobierno nos dice que votemos a favor de quedarnos pero tengo que estudiar qué es lo mejor para los míos antes de tomar una decisión". Finalmente, este turista británico reconoce que votará por el Bremain (quedarse en la Unión Europea) porque está convencido de que es más seguro para su país permanecer en el club comunitario.

Dothy Medway es la dueña del Shankly's Bar en Salou (Tarragona) y, aunque lleva años trabajando en nuestro país, apenas chapurrea el español. Tampoco lo necesita porque en su bar apenas entra población local. "No creo que dejemos la UE, creo que la gente votará quedarse". Se queja de que los políticos no están siendo claros y que los datos son confusos pero ella cree que lo mejor es seguir formando parte de los 28. "Vivimos aquí, trabajamos aquí, tenemos negocios aquí, así que lo mejor es permanecer en la UE". Claro que si ella estuviera viviendo en Reino Unido, reconoce que votaría a favor de salir de la Unión Europea.

Ante la amenza del Brexit, el gobierno de David Cameron elaboró un informe el pasado mes de marzo en el que especificaba que los ciudadanos británicos residentes en los otros 27 estados de la Unión podrían perder el derecho de residencia y de trabajo, así como el acceso a las pensiones, la sanidad y a los servicios públicos.

El ministro para Europa, David Lidington, lanzó incluso una advertencia mucho más dura: los británicos podrían perder el derecho a vivir en España o Francia y los casi dos millones de expatriados que residen en la Unión podrían quedar en una especie de "limbo" legal. Algo parecido podría pasar con los 30.000 británicos de Gibraltar que, según ese mismo informe, podrían perder el derecho a la libertad de movimiento y de comercio.

"Brits in Spain are divided over EU referendum", International Business Times, 16 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Alice Wheatley)

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/brits‐in‐spain‐are‐divided‐over‐eu‐referendum‐683081

It is unsure what the future would be like for Brits living abroad if we did decide to leave the European Union, and this unknown prospect has left many Britons in Spain undecided. There are around 800,000 British migrants who now call Spain home, but for some, the possibility of the UK leaving the EU is still a worrying prospect.

On the Costa del Sol Britons have clearly made their mark, with its 180km coastline dotted with British‐owned pubs, British schools, and fish and chips sitting next to Paella on many menus. Despite what a possible Brexit could mean for healthcare, pensions and work permits, some Brits are still left on the fence.

Like many others, Joanne Rimmer has used the EUs free movement to settle in Spain. Rimmer has been living in Benalmadena for 10 years with her husband. She owns the Euro Bar in the towns Bonanza Square, an area popular with British tourists and residents, and where many bars are British‐run.

Rimmer says she has no intention of moving back to the UK, but believes Britain would prosper if it left Europe, with immigration at the root of her concern.

It’s so easy to get into England from the EU, you don’t need a visa, you don’t need anything, you know. And all these Romanians, the Eastern European countries especially are now part of the EU, and I think that’s going to make Britain suffer economically because they can just come in and all they want is benefits, the 52‐year‐old tells Reuters, echoing the argument of proponents of the Leave campaign.

Rimmer believes that remaining in the EU negatively affects Britain’s economy, and she will vote with the welfare of her children and grandchildren in England in mind.

In Benalmadena town hall, where local authorities were holding an information meeting for foreign residents, many British residents expressed great concern over a possible Brexit. Around 30% of the population of Benalmadena is made up of foreign Europeans, 10% of them British, making Britons the largest single group in the town located 12km from the Andalusian city of Malaga.

I think it’s going to leave England in a terrible mess if we come out of it, because we worked hard and got into it and we are part of the community, and then if we come out we are a small little island. You know, it’s like losing your relations in a way. I think it’s ridiculous, says retiree Maureen Condick, a former secretary and model who moved to Spain in 1985.

One of the biggest worries amongst Britons residing in Spain is access to public healthcare, especially because 35% of the British residents officially registered in Spain are over 65. UK pensioners registered as residents in Spain have free access to healthcare under a reciprocal EU deal, and without it, some couldn’t stay because they couldn’t afford to pay for a private plan.

There is also a risk to the level of the state pension should the UK drop out of the EU. Outside the bloc, in countries like Australia, the government has frozen the level of state payouts for retired Britons. Those who own their only home in Spain also fear they would be unable to afford to buy property if they had to return to the UK.

"British expats are claiming their Spanish‐European identity", The Corner, 07 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://thecorner.eu/news‐europe/british‐expats‐are‐claiming‐their‐spanish‐european‐identity/56002/

The British community in Spain is the largest in the EU: there are 297,000 Britons resident in Spain, according to January data from the National Statistics Institute. After the political earthquake created by Brexit, a large part of this community is now seeking dual nationality from the Spanish government to protect their rights as European citizens. For this to happen, there will have to be a change in the Spanish law.

To this end, some 25,000 people either born in Spain or residents who have worked there for over 10 years have organised a petition which has gathered over 1,500 signatures in just one day.

“This began because tens of thousands of Brits have made their homes, careers, lives and family choices in the belief that making a long‐term commitment to Spain – being part of the economy, paying taxes, contributing to social security – was possible and safe because they were EU citizens, explains Giles Tremlett.

“That has now changed. Most of us were unable to vote. Everyone would have voted Remain. And, now that it is being snatched away, many of us also realize how important the Spanish‐European part of our identity is to us,” he adds. Tremlett and William Chislett, both authors of various books about Spain, are the people behind this initiative.

There is a potential dual impact from Brexit for British expats in Spain.

Firstly, there is the impact for long‐time residents, who have a NIE (foreigners’ tax identification number) and have paid into the country’s social security system. For people in this situation the impact will be limited: they may have to renew their residency permit more regularly, for example every two years. Currently long‐time residents’ permits are indefinite.

What about the loss of other privileges? J. M. has been working for 33 years in Spain, having also previously worked 12 in the UK.

“The only thing that occurs to me at the moment – and we may not lose this in the end – is the following: if you are an EU member, then you can apply to take your pension early in Spain (and other countries I suppose) even though you have not worked for the statutory 35 years here. You can “add on” the years you have worked in the UK and paid national insurance there. So if I wanted to take my pension here at the end of this year, I could “use” my UK years…it does not affect the amount of the pension (you don’t have access to the UK funding) but it means you can retire earlier here.”

Secondly, there is the impact for those expats who retired to Spain (particularly on the Spanish coast) and all their income comes from their UK pension and other savings they may have there. They could be severely affected by the depreciation of the pound, which will drop further if rates are cut in the UK – something which is on the cards to stimulate demand against a backdrop of an expected slowdown due to Brexit. Another problem is that many of these retired expats have not formally registered with the social security in Spain so they are not in the national health system, thus dependent on EU reciprocal health care.

This situation might lead to some of these pensioners selling up and going back to the UK. Something similar occurred in 2008‐2009 when the pound was weak and many retired expats faced serious problems to pay the bills. Some homes were just abandoned on the coast as people returned to the UK.

William Chislett has also been working for more than 30 years in Spain. Brexit does not affect his future, but as co‐promoter of the petition defines accurately its objective.

“We think the discrimination against Brits in Spain regarding the issue of double nationality compared with Spaniards in the UK is unfair. Here we need to be a resident for at least 10 years, while over there only 5 years is

required. In addition, Spaniards can keep both their passports in the UK, while Britains in Spain with dual nationality can only hold on to one passport, with the Spanish one subject to being confiscated.”

In fact Giles Tremlett makes the comment that caretaker Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia‐Margallo recently told him that his son had just requested British nationality.

Allowing dual nationality for long‐term residents would mean a change in Spanish legislation. But those who have signed the petition appeal to the fact that in 2015, Mariano Rajoy’s government offered dual nationality to the descendants of Jews who were expelled in 1492. So it would not be the first time an exception was made.

“It will accumulate valuable human capital for Spain,” says Tremlett.

“It’s not about creating a burden on the health or pensions system,” adds Chislett.

For the time being, British residents in Spain have not received any information on how Brexit will pan out, neither from their Embassy nor from the Ministry of the Interior. This only increases the uncertainty. There is a statement from the British Ambassador on the Embassy’s website, saying that nothing will change immediately. But this is no more than the “standard” political line as negotiations on the UK’s exit are not likely to start before a new prime minister is in place in the autumn. And it will be a slow process.

For its part, the Justice Ministry said: “With regard to the petition received from the British expatriates, we need to remember that Spain still has a caretaker government. And until parliament is formed on July 19, it cannot legislate. So it is early days to consider such an initiative.

It’s also too early to say whether the demand for Spanish nationality on the part of British citizens has increased. We will start to get an idea from the numbers sitting the exam which will take place on July 28 in the Cervantes Institute, which handles the tests required to obtain Spanish nationality. After these exams, the Cervantes Institute has to correct the tests and publish the results.”

The British community is the third largest in Spain after the Romanian and Morroccan, and just ahead of the Italian.

"Expats in Spain could LOSE right to free healthcare after Brexit vote, PM says", Daily Express, 27 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/683708/expats‐Brexit‐EU‐referendum‐Spain‐Mariano‐Rajoy‐Jean‐Claude‐Juncker

EXPATS in Spain could lose their access to healthcare once Britain's withdrawal from the European Union is complete.

UK citizens living in other EU member states are currently entitled to free emergency healthcare via the European health insurance card (EHIC).

But Spain would not be obliged to keep offering the perk to Britons once the UK triggers Article 50 and cuts ties with the 28‐member bloc.

Spain's acting Prime Minister has insisted the rights of British expats will be protected while the Government negotiates its future after Brexit.

Mariano Rajoy said: "The rights to move freely, to work, pay taxes and get pensions, to invest and vote will not be affected at least during the next two years."

He had been asked by European Commission chief Jean‐Claude Juncker: "What will be the future legal status of the millions of Britons on the continent?

"How will the exit affect thousands of British pensioners living in Portugal and Spain who will lose their access to welfare and health systems?

Earlier this month Mr Rajoy warned the UK leaving the EU would be "negative for everybody: for the United Kingdom, for Spain, and for the European Union".

He added: "Above all, it would be very negative for British citizens. The EU is based on the principles of freedom of movement of people, goods and services.

"Leaving the EU would mean that British citizens would lose their right to move freely, work and do business within the largest market in the world."

"Los jubilados británicos ven peligrar su cobertura en la sanidad española", El Diario, 25 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/escenario‐britanicos‐disfrutan‐sanidad‐espanola_0_530197693.html

La salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea modificará la vida de los británicos que viven fuera de su país. En España son unos 250.000, según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Gran parte en las zonas costeras (solo Alicante y Málaga suman casi la mitad de la colonia) donde se ha acuñado el estereotipo de británico jubilado que disfruta del sol y el sistema sanitario español.

"Estoy preocupada por todo para ser sincera. Espero que la asistencia sanitaria esté bien, porque pago aquí mis impuestos pero, obviamente, no lo sé", cuenta Cindy Wilson, que vive en España desde hace 15 años. Esta profesora tiene dos hijos nacidos en España y explica que, tras el referéndum del Brexit, ha entrado en una fase "de incertidumbre total: sobre si voy a poder vivir aquí, si voy a necesitar un visado para regresar cuando salga..." y abunda "incluso la asistencia sanitaria en el resto de Europa va a ser un problema", dice preocupada.

La asistencia sanitaria entre países de la Unión Europea está garantizada aunque exige trámites para asegurar que los gastos repercuten en el estado donde el paciente cotiza. Lo más normal es obtener una Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea que asegura el acceso sanitario en los países de destino temporal. Sin el paraguas europeo, se hará necesario un acuerdo específico o que los visitantes exhiban un seguro médico.

Pero, más allá de esa circunstancia temporal, si un británico tiene trabajo y residencia tiene condición de "asegurado", según lo define el Ministerio de Empleo, y por lo tanto derecho al Sistema Nacional de Salud sustentado con "fondos públicos".

La legislación española también reconoce como asegurado a los pensionistas. Hasta ahora, a los extranjeros pensionistas europeos les ha bastado con rellenar un formulario de la Unión Europea que certificaba el derecho a recibir asistencia sanitaria en el país de origen y, por tanto, en el de destino, es decir, España. Después se ajustan cuentas. ¿Es exclusivo este tratamiento de los países de la Unión Europea? No.

Acuerdos especiales para acudir a la consulta

La UE mantiene acuerdos preferenciales en esta materia con los países del Espacio Económico Europeo (EEE) –que no son parte de la unión–: Noruega, Islandia y Lichstestein. Estos acuerdos contemplan la cobertura sanitaria, "bajo algunas circunstancias". Incluso Suiza, país que no es de la UE ni del EEE, tiene firmado un convenio especial para la asistencia sanitaria para pensionistas de nacionalidad suiza que residan en España.

Dave Finnan habla con pesadumbre tras hacer mucha campaña a favor del remain entre sus compatriotas en España. Asegura estar "asqueado, triste y en shock. Valoramos nuestra asistencia sanitaria, la educación y otros beneficios de estar en la UE. Estimo estos derechos y quiero que mi hijo tenga los mismos". Vive en España desde hace casi siete años y confiesa estar "preocupado por todas las posibles consecuencias". Piensa que la campaña del Brexit se ha basado "en la generación de miedo" y remata: "Estoy valorando seriamente cambiar de nacionalidad".

Una idea que también ha asaltado a William Pairman: "Llevo 27 años en España, no creo que tuviera problemas para adquirir la nacionalidad española". William es autónomo y paga sus cuotas "todos los meses" por lo que "no tengo inquietud a corto plazo. Otra cosa es a largo plazo porque no creo que nadie en Inglaterra, España o Europa sepa qué va a pasar". Pairman reproduce el sentimiento de decepción y "vergüenza" que le ha provocado el resultado del referéndum porque, se lamenta, "hemos dado una pobre imagen de país xenófobo. De Little Englanders [un término usado para criticar a los nacionalistas radicales británicos].

España tiene firmados más de 20 convenios bilaterales en materia de Seguridad Social con otros países. Se suelen aplicar a las "personas que trabajen" o a sus familiares. Algunos de estos acuerdos incluyen expresamente la

asistencia sanitaria. Así aparece en las prestaciones contempladas con Chile, Brasil, Túnez, Perú, Andorra o Marruecos. A Imogen Beazley su periplo vital la llevó de Manchester a Palma de Mallorca. Desde allí trata de no caer en exageraciones: "Sé que en un hospital no van a rechazar a nadie que llegue enfermo". Pero luego añade rápidamente que se siente "deprimida y no me fío nada de los políticos que tienen que negociar la salida". De esa negociación dependerá el estatus final de los británicos y el modelo de sanidad al que tendrán derecho en España.

"British expats face uncertain future after Brexit", The Wall Street Journal, 24 | 06 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Liliam Moloney, Ruth Bender y Zeke Turner)

http://www.wsj.com/articles/british‐expats‐face‐uncertain‐future‐after‐brexit‐1466771844

When Emma Low, a British child‐care worker living in Hamburg, woke to the news Friday of the U.K. vote to exit the European Union, she immediately began to fret.

“Does that mean I’m not allowed to work here any more?” she asked her husband, Darren, who is a Scottish engineer.

The couple, who have been living in Germany for more than two years, haven’t lived in the country long enough to be naturalized. “We just don’t know what will happen now,” said Mr. Low.

For British nationals who have been able to live and work freely throughout the European Union, the vote to leave the bloc throws many important issues—from health care to immigration status and pension plans—into disarray.

Moreover, they likely face a protracted period of uncertainty, as the U.K. embarks on a nail‐biting process of renegotiating its relationship with its closest neighbors, who have pledged to be tough with Britain after its decision to abandon the bloc.

About 1.2 million Britons live in the EU’s 27 other member states, with the biggest group—about 300,000—living in Spain. Ireland, France and Germany all have large British expat communities. In addition to the right to work elsewhere in the EU, they also benefit from the harmonization of many pension plans and the right to receive health services.

“It was a privilege to be British in Europe,” said Anna Winger, a television screenwriter who has lived and worked in Berlin for 14 years. “I feel really sad. How did it come to this?”

Now, after the vote, British expats are scrambling to understand their fate.

“There doesn’t seem to be any kind of plan now,” said Mallory Dees, a British national living in Madrid.

For many, it could bring some soul searching. For instance, some say they are considering marrying long‐term partners who are EU nationals to preserve their right to live and work on the continent.

“The ease with which you could camp out in any other EU country was wonderful,” says John Laird, a 36‐year‐old Londoner who has lived in Italy for eight years. The vote is “a wake‐up call. Do I need to look into taking up Italian citizenship? Do I consider marrying an Italian to legally stay?”

Another major concern are health benefits that EU nations enjoy wherever they live in the region, a particular concern for pensioners. “British pensioners might not get the same coverage now,” said Ronan Donoghue, a Rome‐based accountant who works with expats and has already fielded concerns from Britons living in Italy.

Prime Minister David Cameron attempted to reassure British expats in remarks he made Friday morning, announcing his resignation.

For Brits living elsewhere in the EU, “there will be no immediate changes in your circumstances,” he said. “There will be no initial change in the way our people can travel, in the way our goods can move or the way our services can be sold.

That, however, did little to quell concerns Friday among many expats. Helen Farrell, a 36‐year‐old Briton living in Florence, who is married to an Italian but doesn't have Italian citizenship, is worried about the imminent negotiations between the U.K. and the EU. “Does the British government have the expertise to manage this transition?” she wonders.

Lawyers and accountants who deal with British expats on the continent expect a surge of Britons looking for advice on naturalization, as well as issues such adjusting pension schemes in case of changes in the harmonization of retirement plans between the EU and the U.K. Under current rules, payments made into the system of an EU country can be transferred back to the U.K.

Mark I. Davies, founder of a law firm specializing in immigration, plans to pitch their services to British expats, making them aware of possibilities such as securing citizenship based on Italian descent.

“Rationally, I would expect the U.K. and the EU to work something out that is reasonable,” he said. But if U.K. nationals are treated as non‐EU citizens, such as Americans or Australians, the situation would be more complex, he added.

Sara Estima Martins, a lawyer specializing in European law at Portuguese firm PLMJ, said that one possibility is a deal between the U.K. and the EU guaranteeing the rights of U.K. nationals already living abroad, but not future expats.

Financial concerns also exploded in the wake of the vote and the huge drop in the value of the sterling. The crash is a particular concern to retired Britons living on pound‐denominated pensions or other assets. The financial fallout could in turn weigh heavily on some pockets of the EU economy. For instance, many Britons have bought homes in Spain, a trend that helped support property prices in the country.

Some saw a silver lining. If the pound remains at depressed levels, those earning in euros will find it more affordable to educate their children in the U.K. or buy a home.

“Housing prices (in the U.K.) could fall,” said Mr. Laird. “That would be a big benefit” particularly in London.

Some British expats are smarting from the close vote in which their ballots could have made more of a difference. The British government launched a push to encourage overseas Britons to vote and the Remain campaign believed that many would support a vote to stay in the EU. Pollsters didn’t canvass British expats.

However, British nationals who have lived outside the U.K. for more than 15 years weren’t allowed to vote.

“It makes my heart ache because we can see from the result that we would have made a difference,” said Michael Reeve, chief executive of an association that supports foreign residents in Portugal and who wasn’t allowed to vote because he has been abroad too long.

"El brexit deja en 'shock' a la colonia de jubilados británicos en España", El Mundo, 24 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.elmundo.es/comunidad‐valenciana/2016/06/24/576ce124e5fdeae8658b4663.html

En 'shock' ha quedado la inmensa mayoría de británicos que reside en la localidad castellonense de Alcossebre tras desayunarse en la mañana de este viernes con el Brexit.

La colonia de ciudadanos ingleses que decidieron este rincón de playa español para disfrutar de su jubilación a duras penas encaja lo sucedido en la Gran Bretaña y el varapalo que podría suponer para sus vidas la marcha efectiva de la Unión Europea.

Más de 1.500 personas que, hasta este jueves, creían sentirse más a merced de lo que pudiera ocurrir en las Elecciones Generales del 26‐J, que de la decisión que se tomara en las islas con el referendum, pese al empate técnico que anunciaban las encuestas, temen por las consecuencias a corto y medio plazo.

Así lo explica Linda Moustard, presidenta de la asociación Friends of Alcossebre, quien explicaba a las nueve de esta mañana que se encuentra en 'shock' y que así están también sus compatriotas y compañeros de asociación, desde primera hora.

"No sé qué va a ocurrir con nuestra situación, no consigo centrar las ideas ni puedo imaginarlo. Todo el mundo aquí estamos en 'shock'".

Linda Moustard espera a reunirse con los miembros de su asociación a media mañana para valorar en profundidad la situación y conocer al detalle en qué situación quedan como residentes en España.

No hay rastro del Brexit en Magaluf, el feudo vacacional low cost de los británicos en Mallorca, y los carteles se reservan para anunciar el próximo partido de Inglaterra en la Eurocopa de Francia. Dylan, de 20 años, baja el pulgar y manda la Unión Europea a los leones. "No me gustaba la idea de quedarnos cuando nadie hace nada por nosotros", zanja, categórico. Dylan opina en el mismo sentido, aunque se explica algo más. "Hay que salir. Así no podemos controlar el terrorismo. Además, imagina cuando entre Turquía...".

Turquía emerge como un argumento reiterado cuando se trata del leave, en un discurso recogido de las palabras del ex alcalde de Londres, Boris Johnson, quien ha azuzado en los debates y comparecencias públicas el llamado, por sus contrarios, "voto del miedo y el odio" al advertir sobre las consecuencias migratorias del ingreso ‐sobre el que no hay nada en firme‐ de los vecinos de los griegos.

Charlie tiene 28 años, es londinense y resulta fácil deducir que, pese a solazarse en las playas de Magaluf, sigue con interés las declaraciones de Johnson. "Quiero que mi país abandone la Unión Europea por Turquía", arranca como si el ingreso de los turcos ya se hubiera producido. "En realidad, creo que todos los países deberían marcharse y que cada uno sea dueño de lo que tiene. No hay por qué costear los desastres de los demás. No soy racista, pero es lo que pienso", opina antes de posar junto a un cartel de Exit en el pub donde empezará la jornada.

"Turismo convoca al sector para analizar las consecuencias del brexit", El Mundo, 24 | 06 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.elmundo.es/comunidad‐valenciana/2016/06/24/576d0315268e3ebd408b45e9.html

La Agencia Valenciana de Turismo ha convocado para la semana que viene una reunión urgente con las patronales y marcas turísticas de la Comunidad para analizar las consecuencias del triunfo del 'Brexit' y la salida de Reino Unido de la Unión Europea (UE). El secretario autonómico de Turismo, Francesc Colomer, ha explicado a EL MUNDO que se trabajará con los empresarios para "empezar a aplicar la mejor inteligencia de mercados" para adaptarse a la situación.

Colomer ha reconocido que el sector está "en un momento de incertidumbre", y que el Brexit es "un elemento que distorsiona" a la industria precisamente en un año récord para la región. Aun así, ha aclarado que la campaña de 2016 "está completamente cerrada" y que este tema afectará "a medio plazo", que "al fin y al cabo es cuando se toman las decisiones en turismo".

De hecho, el presidente del Gobierno, Mariano Rajoy, ha asegurado que la salida de Reino Unido de la UE tardará "un mínimo de dos años" desde que se comunique formalmente el inicio del proceso.

Reino Unido es, con diferencia, el primer mercado extranjero para el turismo de la Comunidad Valenciana. En total cada año llegan a la región 2,7 millones de británicos, el 35% del total. Es un emisor especialmente importante para Benidorm, donde se concentra casi el 90% del turismo vacacional.

Como ya explicó EL MUNDO, el primer ministro británico, David Cameron, cifró en 295 euros lo que se encarecería el viaje de una familia británica de cuatro miembros durante ocho días a España en caso de que el 'Brexit' triunfase. Gran parte de ese incremento saldría de la devaluación de la libra, cuyo valor ha caído en picado esta misma mañana.

Al respecto, Colomer también ha querido lanzar un mensaje de tranquilidad: "España sigue estando aquí y es un destino seguro, un factor que resulta determinante para los británicos".

Desde la Asociación de Promotores Inmobiliarios de la Provincia de Alicante (PROVIA) inciden también en este llamamiento a la calma. Su presidente, Jesualdo Ros, considera que a corto y medio plazo no habrá un impacto destacable para el turismo residencial en la Costa Blanca porque las operaciones de esta temporada están ya planificadas de antemano y prácticamente cerradas.

Indica además que los países que pueden competir con España como atractivo para los británicos atraviesan en estos momentos problemas internos. "Los ingleses van a querer seguir saliendo de su país y nosotros les ofrecemos la mejor opción. La inestabilidad de otros países nos beneficia y hará que el impacto sea mucho menor", apunta.

Según el presidente de Provia, lo único que puede ocurrir es que descienda un poco el nivel adquisitivo que tengan los británicos en España y que, consecuentemente, caiga también el gasto que realizan en nuestro país. Sin embargo, Ros cree que "a los británicos les gusta la Costa Blanca, van a seguir viniendo y van a seguir buscando

propiedades en compra o alquiler en la provincia de Alicante". En su opinión, "no creo que vaya a suponer ninguna hecatombe económica".

La presidenta de Asociación Provincial de Hoteles de Alicante, Cristina Rodes, coincide con el presidente de Provia en que la medida afectará al turismo residencial en el sentido de que los británicos van a gastar menos porque tendrán menor poder adquisitivo.

El presidente de la patronal hotelera Hosbec, ha hecho un llamamiento a la "moderación" al respecto de la decisión de los británicos de salirse de la Unión Europea. Aunque admite que nos encontramos en una "situación sin precedentes", Toni Mayor, considera que el Brexit no tendrá un impacto catastrófico en el turismo.

Al menos, no tanto como se teme en un principio. Afirma que Benidorm seguirá siendo lugar de vacaciones "preferente para los británicos" y que la evaluación de la libra tendrá peores efectos frente al dólar, moneda en la que trabajan los principales competidores, que frente al euro.

Además en Benidorm las consecuencias no comenzarán a notarse hasta el año que viene puesto que "tenemos todo el verano vendido y la campaña otoño‐invierno supera en un 40% las reservas del año pasado". Confía en la fortaleza del producto turístico, en su buena relación calidad‐precio y su seguridad. Al tiempo que recuerda que destinos competidores como los países árabes siguen sufriendo notables problemas de terrorismo que han terminado desviando el flujo de turistas hacia zonas más seguras. Eso sí, alerta de que el sector inmobiliario sí podría ser el peor parado con el Brexit.

Quien se muestra menos optimista es el alcalde de Benidorm. Toni Pérez ha calificado de "desfavorable" el resultado del referéndum y teme un fuerte impacto político y económico. Asegura que con el Brexit pierde Europa "pero sobre todo pierden los británicos". Aunque coincide con Toni Mayor en que Benidorm seguirá siendo destino prioritario para los británicos, Pérez augura que éstos "perderán poder adquisitivo" y esto repercutirá en el gasto por turista en destino. Aun así admite que es pronto para valorar las consecuencias reales.

"‘Brexpat’ benefits for British residents", Euro Weekly News, 13 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on‐euro‐weekly‐news/costa‐del‐sol‐malaga/139903‐%E2%80%98brexpat%E2%80%99‐benefits‐for‐british‐residents

JUAN CARLOS MALDONADO, the Mayor of Mijas, has met with a group of British residents to discuss the potential impacts of Brexit on their lives in Spain, reassuring them that they will remain welcome in his municipality, and inaugurating an official partnership with the town hall, which has been snappily entitled ‘Brexpats in Spain.’

Mijas Council has been at the forefront of exchanges with the national and regional governments since the recent referendum, obtaining the latest news and communicating residents’ concerns.

“Among the most important questions we are answering is how to acquire Spanish nationality,” said the mayor, adding that the council has “informed them of all the procedures they need to follow, and how to manage them.”

The Brits present in La Cala on Friday, July 8, certainly seemed happy with the town hall’s efforts, and the Brexpats initiative has been warmly welcomed, with official documents set to be drawn up in order to fight for the British community residing on the Costa del Sol.

More than 11,000 expatriates currently reside in Mijas, and the mayor assures that “we will remain close to them because, regardless of the British process, here in Mijas they can continue to feel at home.”

"The Valle del Almanzora, in Almeria is making plans ahead of Brexit", Typically Spanish, 11 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news‐spain/costaalm/The_Valle_del_Almanzora_in_Almeria_is_making_plans_ahead_of_Brexit.shtml

President of this body, Antonio Ramón Salas, has chosen the town of Zurgena to start work on the matter; by collecting suggestions, concerns and the general opinion of the British public and then to design a new series of actions to reduce the possible effects of Brexit.

The mayor of Zurgena, Luis Díaz, and Councillor Jim Simpson, recently held a meeting in the Town Hall with Antonio Ramón Salas, when they discussed the possible consequences and reactions to the exit of the UK as a member State of the European Union.

The British Councillor in Zurgena, Jim Simpson, informed the president of the regional organisation how the British community feels in the town, given some 40% of the population is British, and made a call for ‘calm for the next two years’ until the talks between the UK and the EU have finalised. However, this calm will allow ‘working on proposals and solutions’.

‘Never will be turn our backs on the hundreds of Britons who were not born here but have voluntarily decided to spend the rest of their lives in Zurgena, as another neighbour’, said the mayor. ‘We will study the different initiatives which we believe convenient so that none of our neighbours are ever prejudiced by the Brexit vote’ he added.

For Antonio Ramón Salas he noted that the first thing which has to be done is ‘to listen to all the concerns among the British community’

Once all these worries, concerns, opinions and suggestions have been heard ‘it will allow us to put forward local solutions, and then share our ideas with other Town Halls. We will study each and every one of the proposals we are sent, and then we can start working on the resolutions to the questions placed’ he announced.

"El Brexit sacude a los ediles «guiris» de Andalucía", Abc, 10 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://sevilla.abc.es/andalucia/sevi‐brexit‐sacude‐ediles‐guiris‐andalucia‐201607100844_noticia.html

La incertidumbre se apodera de los concejales británicos, que ni siquiera saben si podrán seguir siéndolo

Llegaron en busca de sol, tranquilidad y proximidad al mar y comenzaron a crear importantes comunidades en las comarcas del Almanzora y Levante almeriense. Los británicos irrumpieron con fuerza en la sociedad almeriense hace tres décadas, si bien a partir del año 2000, coincidiendo con el «boom» inmobiliario, su presencia se incrementó de forma exponencial.

Un ejemplo de ello es la abundancia de ciudadanos británicos en las administraciones públicas que ahora, además del conflicto generado por la Ley de Ordenación Urbanística de Andalucía (LOUA) que ha dejado en la ilegalidad a miles de viviendas, suman nuevas incertidumbres como la sanitaria o la política. Lucas John Mayo es concejal de Unión Mojaquera en el Ayuntamiento de Mojácar y reconoce que el triunfo del Brexit ha generado «una situación nueva y no sabemos qué va a pasar».

El edil advierte de importantes incertidumbres como «si podremos seguir siendo concejales y representando a nuestros ciudadanos en los gobiernos municipales». En Mojácar alrededor del 50% de la población residente procede de Reino Unido. «Podríamos decir que la gran mayoría votó por permanecer en Europa; de hecho vivimos en Almería, queremos seguir siendo europeos. Ahora surgen dudas sobre muchos asuntos como la sanidad, la residencia… Seremos como un país tercero», plantea John Mayo.

En similares términos se manifiesta Marie Therese Odonegue, concejal de Turismo y Relaciones Internacionales en el Ayuntamiento de Albox. Esta edil socialista reconoce que no sabe qué va a pasar en el futuro con su Concejalía, si bien advierte de que es «necesario establecer un acuerdo bilateral entre ambos países para que los ciudadanos británicos tengan derecho a votar en las elecciones municipales».

Un tratado que debería hacerse extensivo a sectores como el inmobiliario, el turístico y el sanitario.

Según Odonegue, se deberán construir puentes entre ambos gobiernos para que el Brexit no afecte al turismo residencial, «para que los británicos que tienen aquí su residencia puedan seguir viviendo», ni a la sanidad, porque «muchos son jubilados y necesitan prestaciones médicas». La edil asegura que «estamos en una nube de incertidumbre que va a durar dos años, en los que no va a ocurrir nada pero habrá que trabajar para lo que vendrá». Confía en que la depreciación de la libra frente al euro «no frene ni la llegada de turistas británicos ni el asentamiento de éstos como residentes».

"What do we do now that the British public have chosen Brexit?", The Olive Press, 10 | 07 | 2016 ‐ Opinión (Campbell Ferguson)

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/07/10/what‐do‐we‐do‐now‐that‐the‐british‐public‐have‐chosen‐brexit/

BREXIT does not ‘technically’ happen until two years after Article 50 is triggered but immediate effects are undeniable.

What do we do now that the Referendum decision has selected Brexit?

Unless we are told otherwise, we have to assume that it will happen sooner rather than later. The markets have, with sterling falling (as I write, the pound has fallen to below €1.20 euro to the £.) and buyers withdrawing from pre‐acquisition building surveys and contracts.

There may be 2+ years for negotiation, but that’s politics.

The real world economy keeps working 24 hours.

We may not like it, but we have to live with it and get on with life and work.

Properties being marketed will have to look to other markets, with that perhaps affecting the Costas long‐term, though the number of Brits is unlikely to drop significantly for some time.

For valuers, this has been a seismic change and as yet there aren’t property sales that we can refer to for comparisons. We’ve added the following to our valuation reports –

The UK decision to leave the EU is likely to have a major reduction effect upon International property demand; immediately, with contracts with Brexit clauses being cancelled and lower pound/euro values effectively increasing prices; in the medium term as British potential buyers and especially lifestyle changers hesitate to commit themselves to the uncertainty of rumours and especially healthcare and pension doubts; and in the long‐term it will depend upon the terms negotiated with the EU and worldwide.

In our valuations we depend upon comparison with other properties being sold and offered for sale.

Only after a few months will we have real market information due to this uncertainty. Accordingly, as we are currently having to depend upon pre‐Brexit information, we will use our professional training, skill and experience to apply appropriate variations to values in locations where the perceived level of demand is dependent upon UK buyers.

In strong international areas, we do not expect there to be a significant reduction in values.

In areas where British owners and buyers dominate, undoubtedly there will be.

The second Spanish election has resulted in little effective change and so the international market is unlikely to be changed by it.

Undoubtedly, these are interesting times and there is still the possibility that it won’t happen at all!

"Some reassurance for British expats", Euro Weekly News, 09 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on‐euro‐weekly‐news/costa‐blanca‐south‐torrevieja/139856‐some‐reassurance‐for‐british‐expats

‘REST easy’ was Regional President Ximo Puig’s message to the Valencian Community’s 100,000 British residents following the UK referendum vote to leave the EU.

The healthcare of any citizen living in the region is “guaranteed,” he pledged during a visit to meet representatives from the local tourist industry to discuss Brexit’s impact on the sector.

“The Generalitat Valenciana will not interrupt any fundamental public services,” Puig assured British residents. A specifically created regional committee will deal with the situation, he said.

Referring to Brexit’s impact, Puig expressed confidence in the tourist sector’s “possibilities,” but rejected sending out “alarmist messages.”

Puig admitted his concerns regarding the situation of the pound sterling and urged the tourist industry to improve its offer, although he did not associate this with a reduction in prices: “The important thing is to improve our position through quality,” the president stressed: “Visitors are happy but we have to help them so that they will continue to spend their holidays here.”

"Brexit property blues in Spain: Short term pain, long term gain", The Olive Press, 22 | 07 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje/Entrevista colectiva (Jon Clarke)

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/07/22/brexit‐property‐blues‐in‐spain‐short‐term‐pain‐long‐term‐gain/

THE EU referendum was always going to have an impact on the property market in the British buyers favourite of Southern Spain.

PROPERTY OBSERVATORY: Alex, Taylor, Scott, OP editor Jon Clarke, Mark and Campbell

But after months of divisive campaigning, the nation voted for Brexit, sending shockwaves around the world and throwing up many questions, most of them still unanswerable.

But of all the talk of doom and gloom and ‘the end of the world’ narratives, what has really happened to the property market in the short term?

The Olive Press sat down with a panel of seven local property experts, from currency analysts to surveyors and developers to lawyers to ask what they have seen so far… and, perhaps more importantly, where they see the market going this summer and towards 2017.

This month’s roundtable discussion, hosted by Real Capital Solutions‐SPP, in Centro Plaza, included SPP boss Taylor Cox (TC), alongside: Mark Rickard (MR) from Smart Currency Exchange, Alex Radford (AR) from My Lawyer in Spain, Campbell Ferguson (CF) from Survey Spain and estate agents Scott Marshall (SM) from PropertieSpain, in Benahavis, Jerry Kyrk (JK) from Fastighetsbyran, in Marbella, and Adam Neale (AN) from Terra Meridiana, in Estepona.

BREXIT BLUES?

• High end market least affected

• Market loses around 20% of British buyers

• Optimism however over a bounce back

• British sellers more likely to negotiate

SM: I lost two sales the day after Brexit on June 24 and have had several cancelled appointments. Many people are just waiting for the market to stabilise, they say ‘we like it and we want it but we will wait’ until it all calms down. Luckily, we have diversified rapidly to market to other nationalities and have luckily had more interest from Belgium and other European clients and things are still attractive here because the prices are still low.

CF: We had three surveys cancelled the day after Brexit, which says it all, but we have had a lot more people asking what the actual real value of properties are, in order to get them sold.

AN: It has made a few clients pause for sure, but we envisage them coming back once the exchange rate starts to improve for the pound. It has created uncertainty and dropped the exchange rate making it more expensive for UK buyers, at least in the short term

TC: Obviously uncertainty is never good for the market, we lost 20% of our British buyers, which is not great but it’s not catastrophic. The realities will not be known for more than two years, the real interim game is the currencies, with around 50% of our British buyers now waiting for Sterling to stabilise before they jump in. But I would say the drop in the pound is more a problem for the sub €200,000 market. I would be more nervous for these sales because the buyers are on tighter budgets and could feel the difference. People with money who are buying in places like Marbella, they don’t like to wait around. But if you’re British, where else are you going to go? It is still Southern Spain. The sun is still out. Turkey and Egypt are too dangerous, Florida is too far away and the dollar too strong, Spain is still the best place for a holiday home. Some pessimistic people will remain nervous but I think things will stabilise and return to normal.

MR: If there’s a Spanish bank mortgage involved in the purchase it means the buyer’s exposure is minimalised so they just have to wait until sterling stabilises, but regardless, those wealthier buyers with spare cash will push on because they want their property now and have probably set their sights on it a long time ago, they don’t like to wait or to put their lives on hold.

JK: I noticed in the run up to the vote that the Scandinavians were definitely more reluctant to buy and nervous about the result, but ever since it has been fantastic and they have jumped back in. I think they were simply more concerned about the vote itself than the actual result and our sales at Fastighetsbyran have actually been better in July than in May and June combined. I guess they realised that the world has not ended and have carried on with business as usual.

MR: On top of that, people can also negotiate more and get a discount, if they get less for their pound. It is also possible to do the purchase in Sterling if the sellers are British, although some notaries are not keen on it, due to the tax complications, so don’t count on that always being possible.

AR: That said, my legal firm is seeing more and more people doing a large chunk in pounds, say 20% in euros and 80% in Sterling. Yes, sure some notaries don’t like it, but some are happy with it, so you just have to find the right notary. Those who are on hold now are just waiting for the exchange rate to stabilise, perhaps after the summer.

AN: My advice to UK residents living permanently in Spain is to stay calm and see what happens. Both Europe and the UK need each other, Germany runs a trade surplus with the UK, the UK is the third most important export market for Germany after the US and France; in contrast the UK is the ninth most important country for imports to Germany. Both sides have very good reasons to negotiate an amicable divorce settlement.

WILL PRICES GO UP OR DOWN

TC: I don’t see prices decreasing in what we’re doing, because we are dealing in quality assets, and there aren’t many quality assets today, the supply/demand ratio is still very much in our favour regardless of the Brexit, people still want mid‐market or above quality.

AN: They are definitely going to continue going up

CF: I don’t agree. I think they will actually go down, particularly where British sellers are concerned. I also think the British will be more willing to negotiate. In the prime locations however, I expect them to stay the same or go up a little. It is more in the lower end of the market where prices will be affected more.

MR: The Spanish are also coming back to the coast again, from the key cities of Granada and Cordoba, and they are a much bigger market than the Brits, so we are most likely to see further price increases.

SM: On top of this, it is so hard to get licences to build, so it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve all three criteria – Location, quality and price. To get all three nowadays is pretty difficult, last year or the year before no problem, but this year it’s much harder, so that makes sure prices stay up and continue to rise.

CONCERN FOR GIBRALTAR

• Fears of a PP government

• Jitters in Sotogrande

• Increase in interest on the Rock

CF: People are jittery in Sotogrande because if the PP get into power they are going to be far more likely to push for joint sovereignty of Gibraltar and make things very difficult. The old Franco‐faction of the party has a fixation on Gibraltar and see Brexit as their golden opportunity.

While they are nervous about buying in Spain and working in Gib, more people are looking on the Rock because they do not know if they will be able to get to and from Spain each day.

SM: I agree that the government could make things very difficult at the border, especially if PP gets into power again. Margallo has made it clear what his intentions are.

JK: Gibraltar is very important to Spain’s economy, particularly on the Costa del Sol. They do spend money here, from Sotogrande to Marbella, in particular, so I think to undermine that would be a bad move, but the PP do have an obsession with Gibraltar, so I can see them pushing for joint sovereignty or making things more difficult.

AR: I agree. I am sure they will keep the border open, Spain relies a lot on Gibraltarians spending their money here. I think the UK will spend six months debating what relationship we are going to have with Europe and I think we can negotiate for many of the same terms we had before.

MR: But let’s remember Spain does what it wants, whatever logic there is, whatever Brussels insists, if they want to close the border they will close it.

NATIONALITY TRENDS

• Polish and Chinese new arrivals

• Arabs returning

• More South American investment

MR: The Polish are buying a lot more at the moment, and I have heard quite a few Southern Americans are coming too, particularly from Argentina.

CF: Yes there has definitely been an increase in Polish buyers, it is a growing economy and there are many Polish who have made money in the UK and Ireland and they are now investing what they have earned into a holiday home in Spain.

AR: We actually had a Polish sale today. Cultured buyers who actually bought a place in Granada city after earning their money elsewhere, so yes definitely a growing market.

TC: Development‐wise there is an increase in South American interest too, there are now three big Chilean funds buying up land and properties.

JK: In addition, the Scandinavian market is continuing to grow and this month has been crazy, but I have also seen an increase in Chinese buyers and due to an improvement in oil prices a lot more Arabs are coming back.

SM: In terms of small buyers the Americans are coming and lots of Canadians too, in fact two of the biggest funds out here right now are American.

AR: Yes lots of Canadians, it’s such an international market here and that seems to be becoming even more so now.

NEW RENTAL LAWS

• Rent likely to increase

• Can add value to property

CF: It will affect the low level market a lot more because they look to rent out their properties on the cheap, so they are losing out on the extra costs.

AR: We have had quite a lot of registrations since the new rental laws actually, and it is not too expensive, it’s reasonable, and it’s more straight forward now as there are no grey areas, you just have to pay your tax, end of story.

CF: Additionally, if the property complies with the laws it will actually earn more in rentals than those that don’t, because you have a stamp of approval and it increases the confidence of your clients.

JK: Rent prices will go up for sure, it is what happened in Barcelona and Madrid and for sure it will happen here, but that will lead to more people wanting to buy so I guess it’s good for us.

THE HOTSPOTS

• Axarquia still up and coming

• Quality properties in demand

• New shopping centre in Torremolinos a potential ‘game changer’

TC: Estepona to Mijas is still the key area to buy, although I personally love Sotogrande because I think it is so well laid out, but I do think the impact of Brexit may be felt there for a while because of how close it is to Gibraltar. I think going East is the logical way to go, and all the way to La Herradura, which is a great spot.

SM: Estepona is doing very well right now as are Nerja and the Axarquia region. What is important is that you are not more than 50 minutes away from a good airport, otherwise you might have trouble selling.

AR: That rules La Herradura out, but Nerja is definitely fine. I also think Benalmadena will continue to grow. I know someone building 700 homes there at the moment, and soon there will be the new massive shopping centre in Torremolinos, which will be huge.

TC: That new centre is going to be incredible, it could change the game out there for sure, Benalmadena and Torremolinos markets will benefit a lot from that.

AR: I also know someone who is thinking about building 2,000 properties in Nerja, but I think Torrox and Rincon de la Victoria are going to see the best growth in that area because they have less restrictive planning laws and are nearer Malaga.

GENERAL TRENDS

• Manilva shaky, while Banus is also losing its edge

• Benahavis more international

• British dominance fading

TC: There are funds increasingly buying up land and renovating developments in Manilva and around that way, which can be a fun game to be in, as long as you’re the cheapest product, because as soon as a big half built site next door is liquidated by Banco Popular, whoever, and another fund gets in there and undercuts you you’re dead in the water.

CF: I heard that the top level are not coming into this area as much because places like Banus are just so terrible as an environment, they need to clean it out. The high quality shops like Gucci etc are also having second thoughts because they are finding that people are just not coming to them as much, they’re wondering if Banus has lost its spark.

JK: I think Banus is still a magnet, it still brings people and I think we slowly see that as new restaurants and new places are opening, but of course the second row is more sleazy as it always has been. Maybe there should be an effort to clean it up a little.

CF: I have seen changes in the makeup of Benahavis, it used to just be Brits, but now we are seeing Belgian, German, Dutch, mainly it used to be British but it’s changing.

AR: In general the market here has become increasingly international, I know Mark’s currency clients here were from 25 different nationalities, whereas ten years ago it was like 80% Brits, but now that’s all changing, this is an international market, the Scandinavians love coming down here, the Germans, Belgians, Arabs etc, the Brits no longer have such a big hold on the market. They are big, but after Brexit, slightly less so.

"May and Rajoy: no citizen should be negatively affected by Brexit", Euro Weekly News, 22 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on‐euro‐weekly‐news/uk‐news/140073‐may‐and‐rajoy‐no‐citizen‐should‐be‐negatively‐affected‐by‐brexit

NEW British Prime Minister, Theresa May, continued to check in with other European leaders on Thursday, July 21, although in the case of Spain she had to make do with a phone call to Mariano Rajoy, the acting premier.

The two leaders were apparently in full agreement that no Spanish or British citizen resident in either country should be ‘harmed’ by the Brexit process, in an exchange which was described as “cordial and constructive” in the Spanish press.

Spain’s interim government had already communicated its congratulations to May via a telegram, presenting themselves as “a loyal friend of the British Government and people” and wished her “every success at a decisive time for the two countries and the future of Europe.”

The dialogue followed her earlier joint press conference with her French counterpart, François Hollande, who made it clear that free trade depends on free movement, which will disappoint Boris Johnson and his ilk, but appeared to relax his earlier stance that the dreaded Article 50 be invoked quickly, as he said he “understood the government that has just been formed needs this time.”

They also confirmed that both countries intend to maintain the UK border checks in Calais that Remain campaigners had said would be in jeopardy, as May said: “We have discussed the Le Touquet agreement, and President Hollande and indeed interior minister [Bernard] Cazeneuve have both been very clear from their point of view that they wish the Le Touquet agreement to stay. I want the Le Touquet agreement to stay.”

"Guillén garantiza la atención a los 13.180 británicos con tarjeta sanitaria en la Región", La Verdad, 20 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/201607/20/guillen‐garantiza‐atencion‐britanicos‐20160720011101‐v.html

El 'Brexit' no pasará factura, de momento, a los 13.182 ciudadanos británicos con tarjeta sanitaria que residen en la Región, que mantienen sus derechos adquiridos a ser atendidos. Así se lo hizo saber ayer a sus representantes la consejera de Sanidad, Encarna Guillén, quien se desplazó hasta el polígono de Camposol, en Mazarrón, donde reside buena parte de la colonia británica, para transmitirles un mensaje de tranquilidad. El Servicio Murciano de Salud (SMS) tiene registrados en su base de datos de Tarjeta Sanitaria Individual a 13.182 ciudadanos británicos

Durante la reunión, a la que asistió también la alcaldesa de Mazarrón, Alicia Jiménez, la consejera quiso «compartir sus inquietudes y transmitirles el mensaje de tranquilidad de que la asistencia sanitaria a todos los británicos está garantizada». Según los últimos datos de Sanidad, 13.182 ciudadanos británicos están registrados en la base de datos del Servicio de Tarjeta Sanitaria del Servicio Murciano de Salud (SMS). De ellos, 10.902 tienen tarjeta sanitaria individual, esto es, como residentes en la Comunidad Autónoma. Otros 2.037 disponen de tarjeta sanitaria europea, ya que pasan largas temporadas aquí y, por tanto, son atendidos en virtud de su condición de ciudadanos europeos mediante el sistema de compensación económico de la Unión Europea. Otros 243 británicos disponen de tarjeta sanitaria individual de pensionista, 28 ciudadanos reciben atención a través de un convenio especial de asistencia sanitaria con el SMS y 36 prejubilados disponen de un documento validado por el Instituto de la Seguridad Social para facturar directamente la atención prestada al país de origen.

Guillén aseguró que «de momento todo sigue como hasta ahora. No podemos ni debemos anticiparnos al futuro, ya que todavía no está regulada la salida del Reino Unido de Europa». En 2015 la atención a ciudadanos británicos con tarjeta sanitaria europea o con seguros asistenciales supuso un gasto de 3,4 millones de euros. En total, fueron 6.216 facturas que correspondieron a 3.643 atenciones en Primaria, 2.321 en hospitalaria y 299 hospitalizaciones.

"Plea to Spaniards to support British expat petition for dual nationality", The Olive Press, 20 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/07/20/plea‐to‐spaniards‐to‐support‐british‐expat‐petition‐for‐dual‐nationality/

OVER 15,000 people have signed a petition to give British expats the right to joint nationality in Spain.

But we need your support to ensure we are allowed to continue working and living in your country.

We have chosen to live here and call Spain our home, while many of us have started businesses here and are now raising families.

On top of this, plenty of us have Spanish partners and speak your language, albeit often not perfectly.

We feel we contribute a lot to the local economy, particularly on the coast, and historically our links to Spain, via writers such as Paul Preston, Gerald Brenan and Laurie Lee, is massive.

Above all, we feel European and entirely opposed to Brexit, brought about by xenophobic campaigning and lies back home.

Yet we are the ones in the firing line… and the ones most likely to be affected by it. We hope you understand our plight that leaves us in limbo and could make us ineligible to work.

Your minister Senor Margallo has said as much.

In the UK, a Spaniard can get joint citizenship after five years – a fact ironically known by Margallo whose own son, based in London, has recently applied.

So we are asking, hoping – even pleading – that you come to our aid and help us when we most need it.

A few local mayors and dignitaries have already come out and said it. Now we need everyone to help.

It is fitting that our appeal should come exactly 80 years since the start of the civil war, in which thousands of young British volunteers lost their lives.

Why? Because they believed passionately about Spain. And so do we.

We add to the rich fabric of your country. We love it here and don’t want to go home.

"New Brexit minister David Davis’s ‘generous settlement’ for British expats", The Olive Press, 19 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/07/19/new‐brexit‐minister‐david‐daviss‐generous‐settlement‐for‐british‐expats/

EXPATS living in Spain will have their futures decided at the same time as arrangements for EU citizens living in the UK are made, David Davis has said.

The new Brexit Minister said he was determined to win a ‘generous settlement’ for both UK‐based migrants and the 1.2 million Brits in the EU.

Davis also ruled out removing the three million EU migrants currently in the UK, although he said the government may act if there is a ‘surge’ of late arrivals.

“We will get a generous settlement for EU migrants here now and a generous settlement for British citizens in the EU,” said Davis.

"Brits set to create a new association to remain united in the wake of Brexit vote", Sur in English, 15 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.surinenglish.com/20160715/news/spain/brits‐create‐association‐remain‐201607151204.html

Brexpats in Spain aims to help British citizens deal with the ramifications of the country's decision to leave the EU

British residents in Mijas will in the coming weeks create the Brexpats in Spain association with the aim of putting up a united front in the face of Brexit. Since the vote to leave the European Union on 24 June, worry has spread among British citizens resident in Mijas, the Malaga municipality with the largest number of Britons registered living there: 10.317.

The aim of Brexpats in Spain is to help resolve any doubts that English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish residents on the Costa del Sol will have regarding administration, health, taxation, their rights and issues of any other nature.

Brexit is also of great concern to those native to Mijas, given how crucial British residential tourism is to the local economy.

Support from the Department for Foreign Residents in Mijas, led by Anette Skou, has been constant since the outcome of the vote was known.

Mayor of Mijas, Juan Carlos Maldonado, met with members of the group on Friday at the town hall offices in La Cala to lend a hand to the community, offering institutional support from the town hall, and to better understand the concerns they have.

“Through the Department for Foreign Residents, we are in constant dialogue with those affected by the process ongoing in the United Kingdom, responding to all of the issues that come up. Most of all, they come to us to ask about healthcare. In quite a lot of consultations, the subject of Spanish nationality has come up and we’ve told them the steps that they would need to follow,” said the mayor.

The town hall has opened dialogue not only with the regional authorities, but also national ones to be kept informed about any developments which may affect the British population. “Above all, we want them to continue feeling at home,” added Maldonado.

The Brits who attended the meeting with the mayor on Friday were very satisfied by the outcome. The next step is to create this new association which will inform and fight on behalf of the British community on the Costa del Sol, as well as put on a show of solidarity in the face of Brexit.

Anne Hernández, along with Christine Rowlands, chair of the Conservatives Abroad, has been instrumental in the formation of this group which started as a Facebook page (‘BREXPATS IN SPAIN’) and is now a website (www.brexpats.es), aiming to share information about a variety of concerns such as the ‘European’ passports and driving licences that UK citizens have, as well as regulations regarding travelling with pets.

“What most people ask about first is getting Spanish nationality, but our first concern is informing people about the changes that will happen,” says Hernández.

The formation of an official association is “in the hands of our solicitor”, she says. She stresses that this platform is necessary to protect foreign residents “because it is us who will be affected more than those in the UK. There are pensioners here that will have to survive on as little as 600 euros a month.”

“Brits are very good at standing in line and waiting for an outcome. But this situation calls for something different,” she adds.

“We are a group that is constantly overlooked and disenfranchised,” she says, and is not optimistic that this is likely to change with the “hardly diplomatic” Boris Johnson involved in Brexit negotiations.

As a topic that has touched many people, concerned residents from other parts of Spain have even been making contact. “It’s starting to get too big for us to handle. I have to work too!” she jokes. “What we might have to do is start creating satellite franchises elsewhere in Spain.”

The group’s first official meeting will take place at Tamisa Golf in Mijas on Wednesday 27 July (from 7pm) and will be attended by the mayor and representatives from the British Consulate to help give answers to questions expats may have about their status. Anyone is welcome to attend.

"Brex‐pats: Brit families face returning ex‐pat grandparents forced to flee Costa del Sol", Daily Star, 15 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest‐news/530143/brexit‐eu‐referendum‐expats‐Spain‐Costa‐Del‐Sol‐pensions

THOUSANDS of Brit ex‐pats are set to wave goodbye to their cushy life in Spain within weeks and move in with family back in the UK.

From the Costa Brava to the Costa Blanca, British working class people have been living the dream of living out their autumn years in the Mediterranean.

But after the majority of people back home in the UK voted to leave the EU on June 23 the value of the Pound Sterling has plummeted.

Since then ex‐pats's UK pension cash, which is exchanged into Euros, is 11 % less than before – and this could get much, much worse.

It means those just about affording life on Spain’s sunshine coast face packing up and coming home and shacking up with their kids or grandchildren.

As well as having extra relatives shacking up with them, families back in the UK also face losing somewhere to go on holiday to.

Finance expert Nigel Green, of deVere Group, said: "As the reality of what a Leave result in the EU referendum means for personal finances sinks in, people will now be reassessing their retirement."

One way of avoiding losing thousands of pounds could be to transfer pensions out of the UK.

He said: "Ex‐pats and those who are considering retiring outside Britain will be seeking to safeguard their retirement funds by transferring them into a secure, regulated, English speaking jurisdiction outside the UK."

But even if ex‐pats can move their pensions out of the UK they face being sent home anyway after Brexit because they will no longer be EU citizens and have no right to live in Spain.

But as reported with the UK leaving the EU, they will need to Spanish citizenship to stay.

Many of the huge population – estimated at 500,000 – now want to be Spanish after all.

They are desperately pleading with the government of Spain to grant them dual nationality status.

"Costa del Brits: UK ex‐pats demand Spanish passports over Brexit deportation fears", Daily Star, 09 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest‐news/528675/ex‐pat‐benidorm‐magaluf‐costa‐del‐sol‐spain‐dual‐citizenship‐Spain

DESPERATE British ex‐pats who fear their cushy life in Spain will end after Brexit are pleading to become Spanish.

Brits are famous for colonising the Spanish coast – but not bothering to learn the language or assimilating into the local culture.

Fish and Chip shops, bacon and eggs and British style pubs are more up their street.

But now because they fear being kicked out when the UK quits the EU in the next two years, they suddenly like the idea of becoming Spanish.

A nightmare scenario of an exodus of more than 500,000 ex‐pats from Spain comes as Home Secretary and PM wannabe Theresa May warned of uncertainty ahead for people living in the EU after Brexit.

Now a petition launched this week for dual nationality has already gained nearly 3,200 signatures with a current goal of 5,000.

It reads: "Due to the dramatic situation in which we find ourselves after the Brexit vote, we ask the Spanish government for an act of generosity for the British residents of Spain.

"For many thousands of Brits in Spain and many thousands of Spaniards in the UK, the future is uncertain and worrisome

t was started by long‐term ex‐patriot campaigner and journalist Giles Termlett.

He said: "I feel that I have a dual identity after more than 20 years."

Mr Tremlett has lived in Spain for some 25 years and could not vote in the EU referendum because of the 15‐year limit for Brits living abroad.

But he said: "With Brexit, I've effectively been expelled from my European citizenship against my choice and with no say in the matter."

Ex‐pats are wanting the Spanish government to fast track a scheme that allows Brits to get dual citizenship if they have lived there for five years.

This is the same amount of time it takes Spanish citizens living in England to gain that status.

Mr Temlett said: "My sons who were born and raised in Spain with British nationality do not have that right."

"Expat pensioners lose thousands of euros in pensions because of Brexit", The Olive Press, 25 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/07/25/expat‐pensioners‐lose‐thousands‐of‐euros‐in‐pensions‐because‐of‐brexit/

EXPAT pensioners are losing hundreds of euros a month thanks to Brexit.

Since the UK voted to leave the EU on June 23, British pensioners in Spain have seen their monthly allowances plummet.

It came with the pound sinking to a 31‐year low against the dollar and dropping nearly 10% on the Euro, sitting at around the 1.19 mark this week.

“My pension has dropped by €301 a month,” Angela Webster, 73, told the Olive Press, “That’s a drop of €3,600 a year.”

Webster, who works part‐time as a gestor in the Canary Islands, says she works with many expats who rely solely on their pensions.

“I know dozens of people who were only just managing on their pensions anyway, so this must be making things very difficult,” said Webster, from Yorkshire, who was ineligible to vote having lived in Spain for 30 years.

“We feel as though nobody has taken the concerns of the two million Brits who live in the EU into consideration, and particularly the pensioners.

“They just didn’t think this out before voting to leave. You couldn’t run a business with that lack of forward planning. It’s like our future depending on the toss of a coin!”

She added: “We now need confirmation that our circumstances won’t change, that health cover will continue to be provided and that long term residents in other EU countries will continue to be treated in the same way as EU residents in the UK.”

Alicante resident Diane Lawton 68, who relies solely on her pension, expects to lose a significant amount when her pension arrives in September, particularly if the exchange rate fails to bounce back.

“While I understand their feelings on immigration, I feel the Leave voters didn’t look at the wider issues,” Diane, originally from Birmingham, but living in Spain for 20 years, added.

Various pensioners on Facebook group ‘Bremain in Spain’ have lost as much as €533 a month since Brexit.

"Brexit will not damage tourism but will have an effect on new residents arriving", Typically Spanish, 25 | 07 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news‐spain/blanca/Brexit_will_not_damage_tourism_but_will_have_an_effect_on_new_residents_arriving.shtml

The specialist signalled an adjustment must be made, to not always a negative situation, above all on the Costa Blanca ‘where a series of situations are in their favour’.

Among them, said Mazón, the British will continue to search for sun in their holidays and the Costa Blanca will remain one of the most attractive for being cheaper than others, such as the French Riviera, and for having a greater hotel capacity than other tourism destinations, such as Croatia, Corfu and Malta, where there is no more room for growth.

In addition, the northern coast of Africa is neither a competitor because of the political instability. Mazón assured the British value the modernity of Spain, above all the hotels and good infrastructure, and especially the quality of the health service.

‘Where will the tourist go now? There are not many places, and the modernity and security of Spain makes it an agreeable place’, said Pedro Zaragoza.

Regarding the British who choose Spain to purchase a home; Alicante is the province with the largest British colony (72,935 on Jan 1 2016). Mazón said here the situation is different, given the depreciation of the pound against the euro when considering purchasing an apartment or bungalow.

The shopping basket will also be more expensive, and here there is the possibility (still pending under the negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom) on access to the free Spanish health service, which will now still have to be calculated.

‘When buying property is going to be more expensive and, in addition, if public medical assistance is removed’ this would provoke ‘before buying Spanish property a greater consideration on the amount of purchasing power will be needed’

"Forgotten voices: Campaigner making film about effect of Brexit on British expats in Spain", The Olive Press, 29 | 09 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/09/29/forgotten‐voices‐campaiggner‐making‐film‐about‐effect‐of‐brexit‐on‐british‐expats/

AN expat campaigner is making a film about the effect of Brexit on Brits in Spain.

Gemma Middleton is travelling to Alicante, Valencia, Malaga, Murcia and Madrid to interview fellow expats for the hour‐long documentary.

Valencia‐based Middleton, 43, was inspired to make UK Immigrants in Spain – the Forgotten Voices after feeling betrayed by June’s referendum result.

Since the June 23 vote, mother‐of‐two Middleton has travelled through Spain with director Samuel Sebastian interviewing some of the 800,000 Britons living here.

Among those interviewed is a dance academy manager who refuses to hire Brits who have lived here for less than five years in case they are unable to get residency.

The film, due for release in 2017, will also explore the effect of Brexit on Spanish companies, law and attitudes towards Brits.

"Recording the 'forgotten voices' of Brexit for television documentary", Sur in English, 23 | 09 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.surinenglish.com/20160923/news/costasol‐malaga/recording‐forgotten‐voices‐brexit‐201609231722.html

Part of a documentary, which aims to highlight the plight of British people living in Spain since the UK voted to leave the EU, is to be filmed in Malaga this November.

The one‐hour programme, called ‘UK Immigrants in Spain ‐ The Forgotten Voices’, is being produced by Girl Friday Films, a production company based in Valencia, run by Brit, Gemma Middleton. A trailer of the documentary can already be seen on YouTube.

Gemma said that she got the inspiration from the documentary immediately after the results of the referendum came through. She says that her decision to make the documentary was largely personal, as her family and many other people she knows in the UK had voted to leave. “I just thought nobody cares about me and my situation here in Spain, or the future of my kids,” she says.

“I even know Brits in Spain who voted to leave. How is anyone going to give us a second thought?” asks Gemma, for whom the decision to do something was much more than personal; it was about raising awareness of the impact that Brexit may have on lives, not just in Spain, but in other EU countries, as well as the many EU nationals living in the UK. “As a film‐maker I knew I had the tools to do something about it,” she adds.

Shooting the documentary has already started and interviews have been held in Alicante and Valencia. Next on the list are Malaga, with interviews scheduled to take place sometime in November, as well as Murcia and Madrid. Gemma explains that the documentary will cover “unique stories” from many points of view, not just the Brit in Spain, but also how Brexit is likely to affect Spanish companies, Spanish law and attitudes towards Brits living in Spain.

Along with the boss of a bar and hotel and owner of an academy, she has also managed to find two people who voted to leave to speak on the documentary, although Gemma adds that they are harder to come by than remain supporters: “They are often happy to give their views anonymously, but it seems to take a brave leave supporter to actually come forward and speak publicly.”

“I know Spanish people living in the UK who have experienced xenophobic abuse and we need to explore how Spanish opinion has changed towards the Brits who live in Spain,” says Gemma, who is also heavily involved in the Worrying Signs campaign to combat post‐Brexit racial abuse in the UK. The filmmaker describes some of the stories people have told through the campaign, which currently has around 20,000 members, as “absolutely sickening.”

Gemma, who has lived in Spain permanently for around seven years with her children, is keen to highlight the reason for referring to Brits as immigrants and not expats in the documentary’s title. “We are no different from

Polish or Spanish immigrants living in the UK. I have sensed an attitude among some people of, ‘we’re British, we’re OK’,” she says, but like many, agrees that “just because we’re British it doesn’t make us any different.”

Gemma is working with well‐known Spanish film director, Samuel Sebastián, with whom she has collaborated on other Girl Friday Film projects and they are currently in talks with distributors. The YouTube trailer has been widely shared on social media already and is proving to be a hit among British people living in Spain.

Filming is set to be completed by early 2017, with hopes for it to be televised shortly afterwards.

"British Consul holds meeting in Mallorca", Euro Weekly News, 12 | 09 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on‐euro‐weekly‐news/mallorca/140900‐british‐consul‐holds‐meeting‐in‐mallorca

LOCAL British residents had the opportunity to put their questions and thoughts about the EU referendum result to the newly appointed British Deputy Head of Mission Tim Hemmings, Consul General Lloyd Milen and Vice Consul Lucy Gorman.

The meeting, which took place in Pollensa Town Hall, aimed to give British nationals living in Spain the chance to feedback their concerns to the Embassy. Local Town Hall officials, representatives of English speaking associations and charities, business people and other residents raised their concerns about access to healthcare, pensions and the right to live and work in Spain.

Tim Hemmings reassured British residents that they would not experience any immediate changes in their circumstances: “The rights of both British and Spanish citizens to live, work and study in each others’ countries have not changed, and the UK will remain a full member of the EU until exit negotiations are completed.”

The Deputy Head of Mission emphasised the strong links between the UK and Spain and made clear that:

“At every step of the negotiations we (the British Government) will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.”

Consul General Lloyd Milen ended the meeting by promising to keep residents up to date with developments concerning the UK’s exit from the EU.

“We are committed to listening to the concerns of British nationals in Spain, following the referendum and to keep them updated with any changes as we negotiate our exit from the EU.”

He encouraged British nationals to refer to credible sources of information during the process, available on the UK or Spanish government websites (visit gov.uk).

"'Brexpats Spanish Nationality Course' created for British expats in Spain worried about Brexit", The Telegraph, 03 | 09 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/03/brexpats‐spanish‐nationality‐course‐created‐for‐british‐expats‐i/

A Spanish college has created a course for British expats living in Spain who are worried about Brexit and want to become Spanish citizens.

The Parnell Academy, in Mijas on the Costa del Sol, will begin the "Brexpats Spanish Nationality Course" next week.

Its aim is to teach Britons "command of the Spanish language and a general knowledge of its customs, history, culture, politics, sports, etc" so that they can pass the Spanish citizenship test.

The course is being run in partnership with the Brexpats in Spain group, which was formed in the aftermath of June's Brexit vote to support British citizens in Spain worried about their rights and state pensions.

"Due to Brexit, its repercussions and the ongoing need to learn Spanish, Parnell Academy has teamed up with Brexpats in Spain to offer Spanish courses that cover everything needed to pass the Spanish Nationality Exam," the college states.

"Join this course to prepare yourself for the Spanish Nationality Exam and take a positive step towards integration into Spanish culture and language."

The Spanish citizenship test is apparently harder than people may think.

"Questions range from legal opening hours of businesses in Spain, to knowledge of national holidays and the different sort of climates that exist across Spain. And then there is sporting knowledge and questions on how our political system works," Natasha Parnell, director at the Parnell Academy told The Local.

Anne Hernandez, the founder of the Brexpats in Spain, explained: "A lot of people who live in this area have expressed concern about how they will be affected by Brexit, what implications will it have on their right to live here, on healthcare, pensions."

The Foreign Office advice is that there are no immediate changes for Britons travelling or living within the EU. They still have the right to work in all EU countries, to travel in the normal way, to use their UK passports and other documentation and to their pensions and healthcare.

But Brexit has triggered uncertainty for many Brits abroad, according to Catharine Higginson, who has been living in France for 13 years.

She said that her website ‐ survivefrance.com ‐ has had numerous contacts from people who are thinking of trading in their British passports for a French one.

Ms Higginson, who moved from Dorking, Surrey, to live in Dax, Landes, described Brexit as "an absolute catastrophe on so many levels ‐ economically, financially and on a personal level."

She said: "For lots and lots of people it is going to lead to a massive upswing in racism and xenophobia. It is going to hit our retired expats in terms of their pension income ‐ even losing maybe £100 will impact their standard of living.

"They are already struggling. It is bad news."

"Británicos residentes en Andalucía: "Queremos seguir siendo europeos"", El Mundo, 01 | 09 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Miguel Cabrera)

http://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2016/09/01/57c72476ca474167798b4581.html

Más de un millar de ciudadanos británicos residentes en Andalucía forman parte ya de Europats, una asociación constituida en Almería tras el Brexit que ha pedido ayuda a la Unión Europea al verse abandonados por su país de origen, aunque también ha nacido con la vocación de dar voz a todos los europeos que viven en un país distinto al de su nacimiento, pues dicen sentirse, por encima de todo, «ciudadanos de Europa».

De ahí a que se hayan dirigido al Parlamento Europeo, en lugar de al Gobierno británico, como han hecho otras asociaciones nacidas tras el pasado 23 de junio, para que les amparen y se solucionen los problemas originados por la salida de su país de la UE, como los relacionados con la asistencia sanitaria o el cobro de sus pensiones.

«Nos dirigimos a la UE porque a Londres no le importamos en absoluto y pedirle ayuda es perder el tiempo», dice Lenox Napier, uno de los fundadores de la asociación, un empresario que vive en Mojácar desde hace más de 45 años.

Napier explica que son muchos los británicos que pueden sentirse como él, en una situación muy complicada, como una especie de «apátridas, abandonados por un país con el que, en muchos casos, han perdido todo vínculo y extranjeros en otro en el que probablemente jamás dejarán de serlo».

En definitiva, se trata de personas que tras muchos años viviendo en España ya no se sienten plenamente británicos ‐«en el referéndum del Brexit ni siquiera tuve derecho a votar, por haber residido más de 15 años en otro país», dice Napier‐, pero tampoco españoles.

«Yo podría nacionalizarme español, pero me gustaría tener la nacionalidad europea, aunque tampoco quiero ser un europeo de segunda clase, sin derechos ni representación en las instituciones», explica. Y considera que muchos del millón y medio de británicos que residen en la UE se encuentran en una situación similar.

En España están empadronados unos 270.000 británicos, aunque otras fuentes los cifran en más de 800.000. En Andalucía, según los datos del padrón recogidos por el INE ‐a 1 de enero de 2016‐ residen 79.335 ciudadanos

británicos, de los que más del 60% viven en la provincia de Málaga. No obstante, el número real de residentes en la comunidad podría ser mucho mayor y superar con amplitud los 100.000.

De momento, son muchos de estos británicos en Andalucía los que ya se han interesado por la posibilidad de nacionalizarse como españoles «por miedo a ser deportados, pues están muy a gusto en este país y nadie desea volver porque no quieren saber nada de Inglaterra».

Sin embargo, para Napier la mayoría de los ingleses que viven en España no querrían tampoco nacionalizarse, o no podrían aunque quisieran. «Para nacionalizarse hay que pasar un examen y, para empezar, la mayoría ni siquiera habla castellano. De ahí a que muchos estén rezando para que el Gobierno británico cambie de actitud».

Y la vuelta a Gran Bretaña tampoco es una posibilidad asumible para la mayoría, después de mucho tiempo en España. «Si vendiera mi casa por 100.000 euros, por ejemplo, en Inglaterra no conseguiría ni una caja de cartón, de forma que solo pueden plantearse volver quienes tengan familia y esta pueda hacerse cargo de ellos», plantea.

Por todo ello, la asociación pide a la UE, en principio, dos cosas: la creación de una especie de "DNI europeo" y que los "expatriados ‐no solo los británicos, sino también los europeos que vivan en otro país distinto al suyo‐ cuenten también con representación en el Parlamento Europeo, algo de lo que ahora adolecen.

«Los representantes políticos en nuestros países de origen, no solo los británicos, sino de los millones de europeos que residen en otros países de la UE, no sienten el menor interés por los problemas de una minoría alejada y dispersa. Yo puedo votar en las elecciones europeos a candidatos españoles, pero ninguno de estos representa a los expatriados", dice.

De momento, 'Europats' se ha puesto ya en contacto con eurodiputados del grupo liberal, que parecen haber demostrado interés por sus problemas. De momento, esperan que en septiembre puedan retomar las conversaciones para llevar a Bruselas sus preocupaciones.

"Spain: Brexit Britain must pay for expats' healthcare", The Local, 04 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.thelocal.es/20161004/spain‐britain‐pay‐expat‐healthcare‐brexit

Britain will have to reach a deal to pay for the healthcare of its citizens in Spain once the country leaves the EU, Spain's foreign minister has said.

Speaking at a conference in Alicante, Jose Manuel Garcia‐Margallo said Spain would try to reach a deal for the UK to pay for the healthcare of the estimated 800,000 Brits living in the country.

“We must reach an agreement for residents to access health services in Spain, but covered by the United Kingdom” he told the conference held by accountancy firm PWC, according to Spanish news site Estrella Digital.

Describing Britain's historic Euroscepticism as “regressive”, Garcia‐Margallo also said the most likely outcome for Britain was a deal with the EU similar to the CETA trade agreement with Canada, European policy website Euractiv reported. He also said that the remaining 27 countries should use Brexit as an opportunity to advance closer political union.

At present, British citizens can use Spanish health services on the same basis as Spaniards. Britons working in Spain and paying into the social insurance system have the cost covered by Spain, but many others such as pensioners have the costs reimbursed by Britain under EU agreements. The cost of this to Britain was £223 million in 2014‐15.

In a statement on Tuesday, the British Embassy in Madrid said: "The negotiations to leave the EU are about to begin and it is too soon to say what the outcome will be on this issue. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.”

Spain is expected to use Gibraltar's status as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations, in which Britain is prioritising a reduction in migration from EU countries.

Following Britain's June vote to leave, Garcia‐Margallo called for negotiations on co‐sovereignty over the Rock to begin. The British territory voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU.

British voters in Spain were also broadly supportive of continued UK membership of the EU, and the result has left many concerned for the future. In the wake of the referendum a surge has been reported in the number of Brits

taking Spanish citizenship classes. Over 18,000 people have signed a petition to demand that Spain allows dual citizenship to those Brits that have been resident for over ten years.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in March, starting the two year negotiation period between Britain and the other 27 EU countries. At the end of this period Britain would automatically leave the EU, whether or not a deal has been reached.

"Spain's foreign minister demands UK pays health bill for British expats and tourists post Brexit", The Olive Press, 04 | 10 |2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/10/04/spains‐foreign‐minister‐demands‐uk‐pays‐health‐bill‐for‐british‐expats‐and‐tourists‐post‐brexit/

SPAIN’S Foreign Secretary Jose Garcia‐Margallo is demanding Britain foots the health bill for expats and tourists.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to meet his Spanish counterpart to thrash out a post‐Brexit deal between the two countries.

Top of Boris’ list of priorities is reaching an agreement on healthcare for expats living in Spain.

Margallo – never one to shy away from controversy – is demanding that the UK government foots the bill for expats using public hospitals.

However Johnson is hopeful of reaching a ‘Canadian‐style’ agreement where 99% of healthcare expenses are waived.

Margallo has not confirmed whether his plan includes or excludes expat residents who pay into the country’s social security.

"Spain wants UK to foot healthcare bill for British citizens", EurActiv, 03 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk‐europe/news/spain‐wants‐uk‐to‐foot‐healthcare‐bill‐for‐british‐citizens/?nl_ref=21864257

The Spanish government intends to broker a deal with the United Kingdom under which the outgoing EU member state would cover the healthcare costs of the British diaspora living in Spain. EurActiv Spain reports.

At an event in Alicante Thursday (30 September), focused on what effect Brexit could have on local business, Spain’s foreign affairs minister said that an agreement between Madrid and London would have to be made on healthcare provision.

“We have to reach an agreement where residents can access (Spanish) healthcare services, but covered by the United Kingdom,” said José Manuel García‐Margallo, Spain’s minister for foreign affairs and cooperation.

The minister also criticised the UK for its historic reluctance to engage with European politics, calling its stance “regressive”.

García‐Margallo also referred to the upcoming Brexit negotiations, set to begin in March after British Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement yesterday (2 October), suggesting that a deal similar to the trade deal brokered with Canada, the CETA agreement, would not be feasible.

Beyond the economic implications of Brexit, the minister also voiced his concerns about the “political turmoil” that could hit the bloc, given other countries’ desire to cut certain ties with the EU and Spain’s own ambitions to move forward with political integration and federalisation.

The president of Alicante’s provincial council, César Sánchez, said that 86,000 British citizens live in the area and in certain municipalities make up nearly 50% of the local population, underlining the problem that will have to be addressed by the UK and Spain.

Over 300,000 UK‐born people were living in Spain as of 2015. Over a million British expatriates live in other EU member states and healthcare is set to form a big part of the country’s divorce talks.

"Margallo quiere que Reino Unido costee la sanidad de los británicos residentes en España", Sur (EFE), 29 | 09 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.diariosur.es/nacional/201609/29/margallo‐pretende‐reino‐unido‐20160929163227‐rc.html

"Hay que conseguir un acuerdo para que puedan acceder a las prestaciones sanitarias", dice el ministro de Exteriores

El Gobierno español tratará de cerrar un acuerdo para que el Reino Unido asuma los costes de la cobertura sanitaria de la numerosa colonia de residentes británicos en el país, según ha informado este jueves el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación en funciones, José Manuel García‐Margallo.

"Hay que conseguir un acuerdo para que los residentes puedan acceder a las prestaciones sanitarias en España corriendo a cargo del Reino Unido", ha señalado el ministro en la clausura de la jornada 'La empresa alicantina ante el nuevo escenario internacional: el 'Brexit'', celebrada en Casa Mediterráneo de Alicante con la organización del Foro Empresarial, Pwc y Economía 3.

El ministro ha contextualizado el 'Brexit' dentro de las reticencias históricas del Reino Unido por impulsar la unión política en Europa, una actitud que ha calificado de "retardataria", y ha abogado por aprovechar esta situación para avanzar decididamente en la construcción de los Estados Unidos de Europa.

Se ha referido a las negociaciones que se desarrollarán a partir de 2017 para determinar la relación posterior del Reino Unido con la UE, y ha opinado que ve factible un tratado parecido al que recientemente se ha cerrado con Canadá y que aún no ha llegado a entrar en vigor, por el cual habrá libre comercio con exención arancelaria al 99 %.

Apuesta por Europa

Más allá de la incidencia económica del 'brexit', el ministro ha dicho que le inquietan más las "convulsiones políticas" ya que hay un grupo de países que ahora quieren recortar atribuciones a los organismos comunitarios mientras que España busca dar "un salto adelante a la federalización de Europa" en el sentido de una mayor integración política.

Por su parte, el presidente de la Diputación Provincial, César Sánchez, ha recordado que en la provincia viven más de 86.000 ciudadanos británicos y que en cerca de una treintena de municipios superan el 20 % de la población, mientras que en otros, como Llíber, San Fulgencio o Daya Vieja rozan el 40 %, y en Algorfa hasta el 52 %.

"Rajoy reassures May on position of Britons in Spain after UK leaves EU", Sur in English, 13 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.surinenglish.com/20161013/news/spain/rajoy‐reassures‐position‐britons‐201610132022.html

The British Prime Minister and her Spanish counterpart promised to work together to maintain ties between the two countries

Theresa May, British prime minister, continued her Brexit tour of European capitals on Thursday with a visit to Madrid.

May met with her Spanish counterpart, acting‐PM Mariano Rajoy, at his official residence, La Moncloa.

The main item on the agenda of the bilateral talks was the impact of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union on the rights of the over 100,000 Spanish citizens who live in Britain and the estimated 310,000 UK citizens who are resident in Spain.

According to a statement issued after the meeting Rajoy told May that British firms in Spain as well as residents and the “millions of tourists” need not worry, just as Spanish residents in the UK can be reassured that Spain will defend their interests.

Although nothing can be decided until Britain invokes Article 50, Rajoy had previously released a reassuring message on Twitter that said, “We will work together to preserve the important ties that join Spain and the UK.” Rajoy stressed his regret at the UK’s decision to leave and defended the future integrity of the rest of the EU countries.

Scotland and Gibraltar

With an eye on his own Catalan separatist issue, Rajoy told May that Spain would support the “integrity of the UK” in any renewed attempts by Scotland to become an independent country and stay in the EU.

There was no confirmation that Gibraltar was discussed, although diplomatic sources thought it unlikely that the subject could be avoided.

The acting‐Spanish government has used the uncertainty over Brexit to repeat its historic demands for eventual sovereignty over the Rock.

Speaking in London on the same day as May’s visit to Madrid, Boris Johnson, UK foreign secretary, said that the UK will maintain “a completely implacable, marmoreal and rocklike resistance” to any attempt to change the status of Gibraltar.

"EU citizenship proposal could guarantee rights in Europe after Brexit", The Guardian, 09 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/09/eu‐citizenship‐proposal‐could‐guarantee‐rights‐in‐europe‐after‐brexit

Plan would ensure freedom to live, travel and work for nationals of countries that have left the union – including Britons

The European parliament is to review a proposal for an associate EU citizenship open to nationals of a country that has left the union but who want to stay part of the European project and retain some of their EU rights.

The plan, tabled by a liberal MEP from Luxembourg, could mean British citizens who opt for the new status would be able to continue to travel freely and live on the continent – rights that may no longer be automatic after Brexit.

“It’s clear the UK is divided, and many people want to remain part of Europe,” said Charles Goerens, who proposed amendment 882 to a draft report by the parliament’s constitutional affairs committee on possible changes to “the current institutional set‐up” of the European Union.

“The idea is simply to guarantee those who want it some of the same rights they had as full EU citizens, including the right of residence in the EU, and to be able to vote in European elections and be represented by an MEP.”

Last month, the Guardian reported a huge rise in the number of Britons seeking citizenship in other EU countries, with at least 2,800 Britons across 18 countries applying to secure their post‐Brexit status in the first eight months of 2016 – an increase of more than 250% on numbers recorded in 2015.

The amendment, for which Goerens hopes to find wide parliamentary backing and which MEPs could vote on early in the new year, proposes a European associate citizenship “for those who feel and wish to be part of the European project but are nationals of a former member state”.

The amendment suggests that associate citizenship should “offer these associate citizens the rights of freedom of movement and to reside on its territory, as well as being represented in the parliament through a vote in the European elections on the European lists”.

The UK government’s insistence on control of EU immigration as one of the top priorities makes it highly likely that under a future reciprocal Brexit deal, British citizens will no longer enjoy the automatic right to travel freely, live and work across the continent.

Goerens said he had been taken aback by the level of support he had received for the proposal. “This has clearly struck a chord,” he said. “A lot of people from Britain have got in touch with me to ask what they can do to make sure it happens.”

The suggestion follows calls on the government by the German Green party to fasttrack the applications of Britons wishing to become German citizens in the light of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

The party said Germany should “send a signal that Britons belong to Europe and to Germany” by allowing the “swift and straightforward naturalisation” of British citizens, adding that young Britons in particular living on the continent “need a clear perspective that they can stay”.

"European Parliament considers plan to let individual Brits opt‐in to keep their EU citizenship", The Independent, 08 | 11 | 2016 ‐ Noticia

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit‐eu‐citizenship‐freedom‐of‐movement‐passport‐how‐to‐keep‐parliament‐live‐move‐abroad‐a7405196.html

The European Parliament is to consider a plan that would allow British citizens to opt‐in and keep their European Union citizenship – and its associated benefits – once the UK leaves the EU.

The proposal, which has been put before a parliamentary committee as an amendment, would grant the citizens of former member states the voluntary right to retain “associate citizenship” of the EU, such as after Brexit.

Associate citizens would be allowed to keep free movement across the EU as full citizens currently enjoy and would be allowed to vote in European Parliament elections, meaning they were still represented in Brussels.

The proposal could potentially give Brits who live and work across borders a workaround to the disruption caused by the Leave vote – and young people looking to flee an increasingly insular UK greater choice over where to move to.

Amendment 882 was proposed by Charles Goerens, a liberal MEP from Luxembourg. It will be considered by the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, which is drawing up a report with recommendations on “Possible evolutions of and adjustments to the current institutional set‐up of the European Union”.

Brexit campaigners in Britain reacted with anger to the idea, arguing that it would discriminate against Leave voters and that it was “an outrage”.

The amendment suggests the provision of “European associate citizenship for those who feel and wish to be part of the European project but are nationals of a former Member State; offers these associate citizens the rights of freedom of movement and to reside on its territory as well as being represented in the Parliament through a vote in the European elections on the European lists”.

Though the British Government has been coy on what it wants Britain’s post‐Brexit future to look like, it is likely that British citizens will lose the automatic right to live and work in the EU after Brexit.

This is because Prime Minister Theresa May has made clear that she would like to restrict freedom of movement from EU countries to the UK, a policy that would likely be reciprocated by the EU for British citizens.

Jayne Adye, director of the Get Britain Out campaign described the proposal as divisive and said it was “totally unacceptable” for British people to retain the advantages of EU membership.

“This is an outrage. The EU is now attempting to divide the great British public at the exact moment we need unity. 17.4 million people voted to Leave the EU on 23 June and as a result the UK as a whole will get Brexit,” she said.

“Brexit means laws which impact the people of the UK will be created by accountable politicians in Westminster. It is totally unacceptable for certain citizens in the UK to subject themselves to laws which are created by politicians who are not accountable the British people as a whole. Discriminating against people based on their political views shows there are no depths the EU will not sink to.”

Britain voted to leave the EU at a referendum in June but has not yet begun the negotiation process. The Government is currently embroiled in a legal battle over whether it can trigger negotiations using Royal Prerogative, without consulting Parliament.

"Preocupación por el impacto del Brexit en la Costa del Sol", La Vanguardia, 26 | 10 | 2016 ‐ Reportaje (Clara Fajardo)

http://www.ivecinos.es/mijas‐noticias/mijas‐promueve‐el‐turismo‐residencial‐britanico‐a‐traves‐de‐la‐informacion‐y‐el‐apoyo‐sobre‐el‐brexit.html

La Feria de Turismo Internacional, World Travel Market de Londres, ha dado hoy el pistoletazo de salida a tres días dedicados a este sector donde Mijas cuenta con una importante presencia dentro del evento. Hasta la capital británica se han trasladado el alcalde de la ciudad, Juan Carlos Maldonado (Cs), y la edil responsable de esta área, Fuensanta Lima (PSOE) para estrechar lazos y afianzar un mercado de tanto peso en el municipio como es el del Reino Unido en una jornada marcada especialmente por el Brexit. “El turismo residencial británico es esencial para la economía mijeña y puede verse afectado por el proceso de salida de su país de la Unión Europea por lo que desde

el Ayuntamiento hemos puesto en marcha diferentes iniciativas para que esto no ocurra. Desde el Consistorio estamos apoyando a este colectivo y ofreciéndole todo tipo de información para que estén al día de todo lo que ocurre sobre este asunto”, apunta el regidor

En la ciudad conviven 11.000 británicos que se encuentran asentados principalmente en las urbanizaciones y en La Cala de Mijas. “Para nosotros son vecinos por igual ya que están perfectamente insertados en nuestra sociedad y participan de la vida pública además de ser un eslabón clave de la riqueza que se genera en el municipio. Estamos trabajando de la mano de todos estos vecinos para que continúen con nosotros sin esa incertidumbre que les genera el Brexit, por ello nuestra presencia en esta feria es tan importante pues vamos a poder informarles de cómo nuestra ciudad va a colaborar para que puedan continuar con su vida en nuestro país”, señala la edil de Turismo.

Así pues, cabe destacar que esta comunidad se ha unido para crear la asociación Brexpats In Spain que lucha por los derechos de los británicos residentes en España. Tanto el alcalde como la concejala han podido explicar de primera mano la labor de esta organización y del Consistorio que, aparte de informar, pone en marcha iniciativas que ayuden, entre otras cosas, a conseguir la nacionalidad española a quienes lo deseen para lo que también han surgido varias iniciativas privadas que enseñan el castellano y los aspectos más básicos de la cultura española para conseguir tal fin.

"The end of Eldorado: Brexit Britain is likely to get a very bad deal from Spain", London School of Economics Comment, 25 | 10 | 2016 ‐ Opinion (Luis Garicano, Full Professor of Economics and Strategy at the Departments of Economics and of Management at the London School of Economics. He is in charge of Economics and Knowledge at the Spanish centrist party Ciudadanos)

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/10/25/the‐end‐of‐eldorado‐brexit‐britain‐is‐likely‐to‐get‐a‐very‐bad‐deal‐from‐spain/

Thanks to the large number of Britons who holiday in and retire to Spain – and a lot of foreign direct investment in both directions – the two countries have enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship, despite tensions stoked by the existence of Gibraltar. Brexit puts much of this at risk, writes Luis Garicano [1]. With Spain unlikely to budge on freedom of movement and Gibraltar as a negotiating card, the UK is likely to find itself, at the end of the two‐year exit negotiations, with a very bad deal.

Brexit was a bombshell in Spain, its impact surpassing that of the general election which the country itself was holding three days later. Spaniards were stunned, worried about both the political and economic implications. Indeed, according to a Bertelsmann study of public opinion in large European countries, Spain was the country most against Brexit, with 64% of Spaniards declaring their position against it (De Vries and Hoffman 2016).

Unlike in other countries, the worry does not extend to a potential contagion of Spain’s politics. Among the mainstream political parties only one, Podemos, has flirted with Euroscepticism (it once advocated leaving the euro, as the Communist Party, one of its allies, still does). In fact, Spaniards have historically been among the strongest supporters of the European integration project (as well as among its main beneficiaries). As of 2016, 74% of Spaniards would vote ‘Remain’ if a similar referendum were held in Spain (De Vries and Hoffman 2016). However, Spain is worried about the future, and there is generalised concern about what Brexit may mean for Spain and for Europe. There are several reasons for this.

First, the UK‐Spain relationship is the picture perfect illustration of the economic and political benefits that the EU, and the Single Market, can bring about, as I show in the next section – large flows of people in both directions, as British retirees seek out Spain’s quality of life and Spanish youth seek jobs and education in the UK; a peaceful, workable non‐solution to the Gibraltar question, one of the most intractable territorial disputes left in Europe; large flows in trade of goods and services in both directions; and very large foreign direct investments by companies from both countries in the other. Untangling this web, as a hard Brexit would require, would be very costly to companies and workers all over Spain (and, of course, the UK). This economic cost is a particular concern given that the country is just coming out of a brutal economic crisis and levels of unemployment are over 20%.

More broadly, Spain wants a strong Europe. All political parties in the Spanish parliament are in favour of strengthening the Union, including deepening the Eurozone towards a fiscal union, common border and security

policy, immigration policy, and so on. Spaniards worry that Brexit may be the beginning of the unravelling of a European project that has been a crucial pillar of Spain’s return to democracy and prosperity.

Finally, Spaniards’ worry also has a more local angle, as the referendum has potential – albeit unclear – implications for the regional dispute in Catalonia. A growing minority of Catalans have been agitating for independence for Catalonia. The way Europe deals with a potentially independent Scotland’s likely accession request in the aftermath of Brexit is being closely followed in Spain, even though all parties acknowledge the crucial differences between the constitutional and legal status of Scotland and Catalonia.

In spite of these worries, some in Spain see opportunities in Brexit. Most notably, the Spanish government sees Gibraltar as a colony of the UK on Spanish soil. There is unconcealed glee in the Spanish conservative government about the broad support that remaining in the EU has commanded in Gibraltar, and many in government see a unique opportunity to solve an issue that has enormous symbolic value to many Spaniards. Spain will also fight to attract the financial service industry and manufacturing jobs that may abandon the UK post Brexit.

A highly integrated market: The four freedoms in action

As we pointed out above, Spain is one of the clear success stories of the European integration project, and the Spain‐UK relationship in particular features a highly integrated market, with benefits from trade widely spread among the entire population. Spanish and UK citizens have taken advantage of the four freedoms that are basic to the Single Market: free movement of goods, services, people and capital.

Free movement of people has resulted in huge bilateral migration flows. Migration will be the crux of the negotiations, as it was the key driver of the Brexit vote and limiting freedom of movement within the EU is likely to be the one request by the UK that is most difficult for the EU to accept.

And yet the picture of bilateral flows between Spain and the UK could not be further from that painted by the ‘Brexiteer’ politicians Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Nigel Farage. In fact, Spain has quite an unusual position among European countries in that the balance of immigration is ‘favourable’ to the UK – many more Brits choose to live in Spain than Spaniards in the UK.

In the age of EasyJet, the estimates vary hugely, but Eurostat estimates that 306,000 UK‐born citizens have Spanish residency. However, if one also counts those who live for part of the year in Spain, the figure reaches a stunning one million full‐ and part‐time residents, according to a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (Finch 2010). On the other side, official Spanish Statistical Institute (INE) estimates suggest that 102,498 Spaniards live in the UK, although again the true number is likely much larger.[2]

The potential issues at stake that must be sorted out in negotiations for all of these citizens are many. From access to health care, to housing and work permits, to visa‐free travel, Brexit may change it all, and according to multiple press reports, it appears to be a source of anxiety and even anguish, particularly for less mobile UK pensioners in Spain.

The freedom to trade goods and services has resulted in large bilateral flows and a substantial trade surplus for Spain. The most recent data (released by ONS in March 2016) show that Spain exported goods and services to the UK worth a total of £24 billion in 2014 and imported £14.8 billion. Thus Spain had a bilateral trade surplus of £9.2 billion, well over 1% of Spanish GDP (depending on the volatile exchange rate). After Germany (which had a £25 billion surplus), this is in absolute terms the largest positive imbalance with the UK of any country in the EU, and the fourth largest worldwide after Germany, China and Norway.

This overall surplus is composed of a surplus in the trade of both goods and services. The UK is the fourth largest market for Spain’s goods and services, accounting for 7% of the total. In terms of goods trade, the UK is particularly important for the exports of transport equipment (20%), machine tools, chemicals, metals, mining, and vegetables.

The large services surplus is due mostly to tourism. The UK is the main buyer of Spain’s tourism, with 15.8 million British tourists visiting Spain in 2015 and the UK accounting for 21.1% of total tourism income (Greenwood 2016).

Thus it is hard to overstate the risk that a ‘hard Brexit’ would pose, through trade, for Spain’s economy. No country is more vulnerable than Spain to the trade disruption, given the trade surplus (in GDP terms), and no country has a greater interest in the softest of Brexits. There is a large downside for both countries from any disruption to all of

these flows – and no conceivable upside – from the negotiations. All that remains to ask is how bad will the damage be.

Freedom of capital movement has resulted in enormous FDI flows. According to a recent report (Greenwood 2016), the UK is the main destination for Spain’s FDI, accounting for 14% of the total outflow. This outflow has been directed particularly towards finance, telecoms and electricity. Spain has the largest investment in the UK’s financial services of all EU countries, and is second worldwide after the US, through two of the largest Spanish banks (Santander and Sabadell). Almost one out of every five pounds of foreign investment in the UK’s banking sector is represented by these two Spanish banks. (17%, according to Greenwood 2016). Both banks have huge exposure to the UK through their affiliates, with these affiliates accounting for around a quarter of their assets and profits in Q1 2015.

The flow in the opposite direction is also large. The UK is the fifth largest investor in Spain, focusing on telecoms and tobacco (Greenwood 2016).

In sum, the relationship is a clear success for the UK‐led project of a European Single Market, and one that will be expensive for both parties to unravel. For the UK, the highest human and economic cost will be from unravelling the freedom of movement (with significant potential losses to large UK contingents of residents in Spain). For Spain, the main potential vulnerabilities are in trade and FDI flows.

For both, potentially enormous vulnerabilities derive from potential financial and macroeconomic turbulence as the new steady state is reached. This has the potential to be a really nasty transition.

Spain’s priorities

Spain has three priorities, which are not necessarily compatible.

1. The politics: Preserving the Union

As one of the most pro‐European countries, Spain is committed to preserving and deepening the Union. This obviously suggests that Spain will support the European Parliament involvement and the European Commission’s leadership in the negotiations, avoid obvious bilateral discussions (quiet discussions, one imagines, must be always taking place), and push for an arrangement that falls neatly into existing categories – that is, EEA or Switzerland, or if not, Canada. Thus political considerations would lead us to expect Spain to militate strongly against intermediate ‘soft’ solutions such as that proposed by Pisani‐Ferry et al. (2016).

2. The economics: Preserving the tangled web of the four freedoms

The economics point in quite a different direction. As we have seen, the UK‐Spain relationship is a very tangled web indeed, with large benefits to both parties, and, in trade of goods and services, particularly to Spain. To disentangle it would involve massive costs. A hard Brexit is emphatically not in the interest of either the UK or Spain. The economics (unlike the politics) suggest that Spain would be likely to militate against any disruptive Brexit and look for middle of the road solutions. However, this pragmatism is unlikely to extend to all British aspirations. In particular, Spain has a very recent memory of large outward migration flows (throughout the period of the dictatorship) that have recently been revived again with the crisis, and it will be extremely difficult for the government to accept a limitation to the freedom of movement.

3. Gibraltar: A potential make or break issue

Gibraltar, a small peninsula with large strategic value, was lost by Spanish after its capture in 1704, during the War of Spanish Succession, by an Anglo‐Dutch fleet and was ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. After multiple wars and sieges, it has become a highly successful enclave within the EU with a high degree of self‐government. The status of Gibraltar, officially a colony, is nevertheless contentious, as is the status of its airport, which was built on land that the Treaty of Utrecht set as neutral territory.

The management of this dispute has been greatly facilitated in the context of the EU. The border between Spain and Gibraltar was only reopened in 1985, and since then trade and people have flowed freely between the two territories. Gibraltar has become the second richest territory in the Union.

The current Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José García‐Maragallo, has stated clearly – and his position has been echoed by the Spanish Permanent Representative to the United Nations on a recent meeting on

decolonisation – that after Brexit a new understanding must be found, and that it must involve co‐sovereignty of the UK and Spain over Gibraltar. In his words, “they will have to choose between British outside the Union or Hispano‐British inside the EU”. Only co‐sovereignty will allow Gibraltar to have the treaties apply to it.

In the solution the Spanish government is pushing for, Gibraltar citizens would preserve access to the European Single Market, obtain both nationalities, and conserve a large degree of autonomy. Spain and the UK would be jointly in charge of defence, foreign affairs, border control and immigration. Crucially, the Spanish flag would fly on Gibraltar.3

How much of an obstacle this issue – tiny in terms of welfare for the two countries, but with huge symbolic value – may pose in the negotiations remains to be seen, but it is sure to have a considerable weight in them.

What can we expect Spain’s negotiating position to be?

From the perspective of its commercial, investment, and migratory interests, Spain could be willing to accept a soft Brexit, that is, a modified EEA with some governance mechanism for the participation of the UK in joint decision making.

However, Spain has been adopting a low profile in the international arena for many years now, and its Europeanism suggests that it is highly unlikely to deviate from the position taken by France and Germany, and will thus demand that the Commission leads and the Parliament has a say in the negotiations, once Article 50 is invoked. Spain will likely be a disciplined soldier on the European side, and demand that access to the Single Market continues to require a commitment to all four freedoms, and most notably to freedom of movement of people inside the Union.

A potential stumbling block is Gibraltar. Everything we have heard from the Spanish government up till now suggests that it is unlikely any deal in which Gibraltar retains access in any form to the EU will be reached that does not involve joint (Spanish and British) sovereignty over the peninsula.

The Gibraltar issue highlights the likely result of the negotiation between the EU27 and the UK – the UK’s death by a thousand cuts. Every country involved in the bargaining has veto power, and every one of them is likely to have a shopping list – some issue that is important enough to block progress. For the Poles it may be freedom of movement, for the Irish it may have to do with Northern Ireland. The ability of the UK government to resist these demands, with the clock ticking, simply does not seem to be there.

As a result, the UK is likely to find itself, at the end of these two years, with a very bad deal. By the time 27 countries have finished putting together their “Yes, but what about Gibraltar?”‐like objections, the pro‐Brexit politicians will either have to start explaining to voters the distance between the fantasy they invented and the reality, or be prepared to back off from Brexit.

Footnotes

1 In the interest of full disclosure: I am a Spanish citizen, my kids live in Holland, and my job is in London. Thus my life will be directly affected by the negotiations which are the object of this chapter, as will the lives of many other UK and European residents. Even though the author is in charge of economic, industrial and innovation policy for the Ciudadanos Party in Spain, the analysis presented here is undertaken in a personal capacity as an academic observer and LSE professor. None of what is here written should be taken to be the position of the party or a recommendation of what it should do; it most emphatically is not. I thank Carles Casajuana, the previous Ambassador of Spain to the UK, for a useful conversation and Jesús Fernandez Villaverde for comments on the first draft. All errors are my own.

2 On the other hand, in the last (2011) census, 79,814 Spanish‐born residents were recorded in England and Wales.

3 For a good description of the positions of Spain and Gibraltar on these issues, see the article by Andrés Machado in El Mundo, “Picardo repica a Maragallo: Ni en cuatro años ni en 4000 ondeara la bandera Española en Gibraltar”, 6 October 2016.

References

De Vries, C. and I. Hoffman (2016), “Keep Calm and Carry on: What Europeans think about a possible Brexit”, EUpinions 2016/2, BertelsmannStiftung.

Finch, T. (2010), Global Brit: Making the most of the British diaspora, London: Institute for Public Policy Research.

Greenwood, N. “Referéndum de Reino Unido sobre la permanencia en la UE: consecuencias para las economías británica, de la UE, y española”, Cuadernos de Información Económica, Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorro. Mayo Junio 2016.

Pisani‐Ferry, J., N. Röttgen, A. Sapir, P. Tucker and P. Wolff (2016), “Europe after Brexit: a proposal for continental partnership”, Bruegel External Publication, Brussels.

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Brexit blog, nor the LSE. It was first published as part of the VoxEU ebook, What to do with the UK? EU perspectives on Brexit.

Luis Garicano is a Full Professor of Economics and Strategy at the Departments of Economics and of Management at the London School of Economics. He is in charge of Economics and Knowledge at the Spanish centrist party Ciudadanos, as well as of the formulation of its Economic and Social programme.

"British government to give expats 'votes for life'", Sur in English, 07 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.surinenglish.com/20161007/news/spain/british‐government‐give‐expats‐201610071614.html

The British government on Friday published detailed plans on how it will deliver its commitment to allow all expats to vote in parliamentary elections.

The Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore, announced the policy statement which sets out how the government will remove the current 15‐year time limit on British citizens who live abroad registering as overseas electors.

The changes would give all eligible British citizens who have lived in the UK a lifelong right to vote in parliamentary elections. It would mean all eligible overseas electors are able to register to vote quickly and easily, while maintaining the integrity of the electoral register and guarding against fraud.

Skidmore said: “This statement shows how we will introduce ‘votes for life’, scrapping the 15‐year rule. British citizens who move abroad remain a part of our democracy and it is important they have the ability to participate. Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward‐facing nation. Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two‐thirds of expats live outside the EU.

“Expats retain strong links with the United Kingdom: they may have family here, and indeed they may plan to return here in the future. Modern technology and cheaper air travel has transformed the ability of expats to keep in touch with their home country.”

This proposed policy is the latest in a series of measures to make it easier for overseas voters to take part in British democracy. During the last Parliament, the government introduced online voter registration, making it quick, easy and secure to register anywhere in the world. The government also took steps to extend the electoral timetable for postal ballots to be issued earlier to ensure that as many electors as possible can participate in their democracy.

"Expats to get vote for life in UK general elections, government says", The Guardian, 07 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/07/expats‐given‐vote‐for‐life‐uk‐elections‐government‐says

Fifteen‐year limit to be scrapped in wake of Brexit vote to strengthen ties with Britons living permanently overseas

Britons who have settled overseas permanently are to be given a “vote for life” in British general elections, the government has announced.

The current 15‐year limit will be scrapped as part of a bid to strengthen ties with expats abroad following the decision to leave the EU.

The plans, which will have to be ratified by both houses of parliament, were announced on Friday by Chris Skidmore, the minister for the constitution, and follow a campaign by the second world war veteran Harry Shindler.

“British citizens who move abroad remain a part of our democracy and it is important they have the ability to participate,” said Skidmore. “Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward‐facing nation.

“Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two‐thirds of expats live outside the EU.

“Expats retain strong links with the United Kingdom: they may have family here, and indeed they may plan to return here in the future. Modern technology and cheaper air travel has transformed the ability of expats to keep in touch with their home country.”

Shindler, a veteran of the Battle of Anzio, has been campaigning for UK expat voting rights for many years. He said he was “pleased and grateful that Theresa May has committed to giving expats a vote by 2020”.

The 95‐year‐old, who moved to Italy to be near his grandson in 1982, has been unable to vote in the UK since 1997 but cannot vote in Italy either.

He mounted a legal challenge earlier this year alongside Jacquelyn MacLennan, who lives in Belgium, when it emerged they would not be able to vote in the EU referendum. However, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones ruled it did not restrict their rights and rejected their application for judicial review.

It is believed up to 1 million Britons could benefit from the change in the law.

"Expats to get ‘votes for life’", The Independent, 07 | 10 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/expats‐to‐get‐votes‐for‐life‐a7349746.html

The ‘15‐year rule’ is set to be scrapped, meaning British people living abroad will receive voting rights for life

“Votes for life” will be extended to millions of British immigrants living abroad, in a move that will vastly improve the electoral fortunes of the Conservative party.

The Government will announce today that it would scrap the 15‐year limit after which British people who have left the UK lose their right to vote, in a pledge that was first announced by David Cameron in 2014 and formed part of the Conservative election manifesto.

Immigrants, or “expatriates”, will be given the right to vote in the constituency in which they last lived.

The vast majority of British people living abroad are elderly retirees, and are more likely to be Conservative voters.

Chris Skidmore, the constitution minister, said: “This statement shows how we will introduce ‘votes for life’.

“British citizens who move abroad remain a part of our democracy and it is important they have the ability to participate.

“Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward‐facing nation.

“Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two‐thirds of expats live outside the EU”

Prior to 1985, Brits abroad were not permitted to register to vote in UK national elections. In 2000 the rule was amended to give Brits abroad fifteen years before losing their voting rights.

Geoffrey Clifton‐Brown MP, parliamentary adviser to Conservatives Abroad, who has campaigned for the changes for years, told The Daily Telegraph: “British citizens abroad … are some of the best unofficial ambassadors that we have. It is only right and fair after a lifetime of contributing to the UK that they in turn should be given the right to vote.”

The move stands in marked contrast to Theresa May’s party conference speech on Wednesday, when she said, “If you are a citizen of the world you are a citizen of nowhere,” in a passage meant to place greater emphasis on local citizenship.

"Being British is about so much more than simply being resident in UK", The Telegraph, 07 | 10 | 2016 ‐ Opinion (Chris Skidmore, Constitution Minister)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/07/being‐british‐is‐about‐so‐much‐more‐than‐simply‐being‐resident‐i/

For many British citizens living abroad, being British is about so much more than simply being resident in our country.

It doesn’t matter where they live, British citizens are still a part of British society, retaining strong cultural and social ties with their families at home and helping to build businesses abroad.

The decisions that are made on British shores impact our citizens around the world and indeed many plan to return to live here in the future.

That’s why this Government believes that British citizens living abroad should have their voices heard in our democracy and why we are committed to supporting them.

We have already introduced Individual Electoral Registration which means any British citizen, at home or abroad, can quickly and safely register to vote online.

During the last Parliament we also extended the electoral timetable for overseas voters to allow for postal ballots to be issued earlier.

This means that overseas electors now have more time to receive, complete and return their postal votes than was previously the case.

As part of our manifesto commitment we will ensure that British citizens, no matter where they live, have the right to vote for life.

We now intend to remove the barriers that prevent expats from voting in Parliamentary elections if they have lived abroad for longer than 15 years.

It was a previous Conservative government that first legislated to give expats the vote ‐ before 1985, British citizens living outside the UK were unable to register to vote in UK Parliamentary elections.

The Representation of the People Act 1985 changed this. Yet since then, the previous Labour government’s decision to limit the Act has seen the time limit for British citizens living abroad being able to vote reduced to a period of 15 years. It is time to get rid of it completely.

Today, the Government has published detailed plans on how we intend to introduce votes for life for British citizens living abroad. This sets out how we will scrap the 15‐year limit and open the franchise to the millions of citizens living abroad who have, until now, been denied their right to vote.

In doing so, we will be taking forward our plans to foster a democracy that treats British citizens equally. Already we are continuing with legislation to ensure that we establish the principle of equal sized constituencies, ensuring that each elector’s vote is worth the same as another.

We are working to ensure that as many citizens as possible are registered to vote, with a record 46.5 million people currently on the electoral register. Now, we will ensure that no British citizen is denied their right to vote because of where they live.

Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward‐facing nation.

Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two‐thirds of expats live outside the EU. Now, more than ever, Britain must be a global democracy, with every British citizen given the chance to play their role in forging our nation’s future.

This Government is committed to making ours a democracy that works for everyone ‐ wherever they are in the world.

"MEP pushes for Remainers in the UK to have ‘associate EU membership’", The Olive Press, 17 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain‐news/2016/11/17/mep‐pushes‐for‐remainers‐in‐the‐uk‐to‐have‐associate‐eu‐membership/

A LUXEMBOURG MEP is calling for Remainers in the UK to be allowed to become ‘associate members’ to the EU.

Charles Goerens, from the Democratic Party of Luxembourg, has argued that those in Britain who want to stay in the union should be able to pay for membership by contributing directly to the EU budget each year.

“An associate membership could provide all the rights of full European citizenship, for example the right to freedom of movement, access to healthcare in the EU and the right to reside in EU member states,” he said.

“I see no reason why the EU should not, in principle, offer an individual EU associate citizenship to UK citizens who wish to maintain their European identity.”

The idea has since generated interest on social media and Mr Goerens says many British MEPs have expressed support.

It will be hard to achieve by the 2019 deadline for Brexit and could only become law after a treaty change as it would alter the very nature of EU citizenship.

It would also need the support of all 28 members.

However the idea has received backing by the influential Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who will also be the European Parliament’s lead negotiator in Brexit.

The European Parliament will vote on the proposal next month – it is Amendment 882 in a long report on possible future EU treaty changes.

"Brexit: Britons could be charged to visit Europe after EU withdrawal", The Independent, 15 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home‐news/brexit‐europe‐charge‐britons‐to‐enter‐schengen‐article‐50‐a7417996.html?amp

US‐style scheme for visa free travel could come with a charge for online pre‐screening

UK citizens could be charged to enter the EU if Article 50 is triggered.

As part of an effort to prevent terrorism, European ministers are to consider a plan to introduce a US‐style visa waiver programme for the 26‐country Schengen Zone. Visitors from countries participating in a Visa Waiver Programme would be required to apply online to be screened in advance of their trip.

The US Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) charges prospective tourists and business travellers £10 for these background checks.

The plan to implement an EU version of ESTA was drafted in September, but the European Commission is set to discuss the proposal this week.

Sir Julian King, a British diplomat currently serving as European commissioner for the security union, is already backing the plan, which he said could play an important part in the war against international terrorism.

“We think this is going to be a valuable additional piece of the jigsaw because it will allow us to know more about the people who are planning to come to the EU in advance so that if necessary they raise questions about either security or in some cases migration,“ he said.

He added: ”We’ll be able to intervene even before they arrive in some cases.“

The idea has also been backed by France and Germany, following calls for bolstered security throughout Europe after a string of terror attacks on European soil, according to EU sources.

All countries in the Schengen Area have abolished passport checks at their mutual borders.

Although not a member of the zone, British nationals are able to travel freely within it after showing a valid passport upon entry.

But after Britain's exit from the bloc, UK citizens may be forced to apply to visit the zone and pay a fee.

Leave campaigners admitted such a scheme could be a possibility in the build‐up to the EU referendum.

But the change is now close to becoming a reality as part of a wider package of counter‐terrorism moves that are being tabled one year on from the Paris attacks.

“It’s that level of present, persistent, indiscriminate threat that led to 80‐plus per cent of European citizens saying they want more action in this area,” said Mr King. “There are a number of elements at the heart of this task – tackling terrorism is one but not the only part of it. There’s work that needs to be done on cybercrime and attacks, and serious and organised crime. On terrorism there were a number of things already in hand.”

EU interior ministers, including the British home secretary, Amber Rudd, will consider the European visa waiver scheme alongside the refreshed counter‐terrorism package this Friday at a regular meeting of justice and home affairs ministers.

When the plan to charge Britons to visit Europe was first disclosed in September, Ms Rudd said: “I don’t think it’s particularly desirable, but we don’t rule it out, because we have to be allowed a free hand to get the best negotiations.”

“My reaction to that is it’s a reminder that this is a two‐way negotiation. The EU and the commissioners may be considering issues, alternatives. They will be considering their negotiations with us, just as we are with them. But I’m going to make sure that what we do get is in the best interests of the UK,” she said.

"EU ministers to discuss plan to charge Britons to visit Europe after Brexit", The Guardian, 14 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/nov/14/eu‐ministers‐to‐discuss‐plan‐to‐charge‐britons‐to‐visit‐europe‐after‐brexit

European version of US visa waiver programme would charge all non‐EU citizens to enter 26‐country Schengen zone

A European plan under which Britons will face a £10 charge to travel to the EU after Brexit is to be discussed by interior ministers this week.

The plan for a European version of the US visa waiver programme has already won the backing of the British diplomat now in charge of European security.

Sir Julian King, the European commissioner for the security union is to give evidence to peers on Tuesday. He has described the plan as “a valuable additional piece of the jigsaw” in the war against international terrorism.

In his first British interview since taking up the post in September, King said the proposals for a pre‐clearance entry system for those travelling from outside the EU will be presented this week.

“We think this is going to be a valuable additional piece of the jigsaw because it will allow us to know more about the people who are planning to come to the EU in advance so that if necessary they raise questions about either security or in some cases migration. We’ll be able to intervene even before they arrive in some cases,” he told the Press Association.

The EU commission proposals could mean that after Brexit British and other non‐European citizens will have to apply online and pay to travel if they are heading for the 26 European countries that make up the Schengen zone.

Currently British passport holders can travel throughout EU member states without having to apply for short‐term visas, but Britain’s vote to leave the EU has raised questions over the criteria that will be needed for UK citizens to visit the Schengen area.

The move is part of a wider package of counter‐terrorism moves that are being tabled one year on from the Paris attacks.

“It’s that level of present, persistent, indiscriminate threat that led to 80‐plus per cent of European citizens saying they want more action in this area,” said King. “There are a number of elements at the heart of this task – tackling terrorism is one but not the only part of it. There’s work that needs to be done on cybercrime and attacks, and serious and organised crime. On terrorism there were a number of things already in hand.”

EU interior ministers, including the British home secretary, Amber Rudd, will consider the European visa waiver scheme alongside the refreshed counter‐terrorism package this Friday at a regular meeting of justice and home affairs ministers.

When the Guardian disclosed the plan in September to charge Britons to visit Europe, Rudd responded by saying: “I don’t think it’s particularly desirable, but we don’t rule it out, because we have to be allowed a free hand to get the best negotiations.”

“My reaction to that is it’s a reminder that this is a two‐way negotiation. The EU and the commissioners may be considering issues, alternatives. They will be considering their negotiations with us, just as we are with them. But I’m going to make sure that what we do get is in the best interests of the UK,” she said.

The refreshed EU counter‐terrorism strategy includes criminalising travel between Europe and Syria or Iraq, making it more difficult to get hold of deactivated firearms and stepping up pressure on internet companies to remove extremist material from the web."

Brexit: una sentencia que no cambia (en exceso) el horizonte", The Diplomat in Spain, 09 | 11 | 2016 ‐ Opinión (Salvador Llaudes, Investigador del Real Instituto Elcano) (English version)

http://thediplomatinspain.com/brexit‐una‐sentencia‐que‐cambia‐en‐exceso‐el‐horizonte/

Respecto a los segundos, no es previsible que se produzca una rebelión de los diputados en contra del Brexit. Principalmente porque los partidarios de la salida han logrado generar un cierto clima de opinión que considera que los diputados (al margen de que sean pro‐Brexit o no lo sean) no deben votar de forma contraria a lo que ha hecho los ciudadanos de su circunscripción electoral, porque en caso de hacerlo estarían “traicionándoles”. El fantasma de las elecciones acecha y nadie quiere perder su sitio si hay comicios.

Si los diputados se manifestasen en contra de la salida del Reino Unido de la UE (cuestión mucho menos probable), es de prever un efecto fortalecimiento del liderazgo de May y su opción por una salida “dura” de la UE. En tal situación, May estaría tentada de buscar una salida electoral. Las encuestas apuntan a una victoria apabullante de los Tories, con unos laboristas que se encuentran muy débiles, un UKIP con una crisis de liderazgo existencial y unos liberaldemócratas que ni están ni se les espera. Theresa May, en estos momentos, no tiene rivales que le hagan sombra.

Por tanto, la sentencia no parece cambiar fundamentalmente la situación. A pesar de que resulta un contratiempo para May, una lectura desapasionada del asunto sugiere que las posibilidades de que el Brexit se revierta son ciertamente escasas. Puede que haya atrasos en la activación del artículo 50, sí. Puede que la capacidad negociadora británica sea menor de la deseada por May, también. Pero en el horizonte solamente se vislumbra la salida de la Unión Europea. Se antoja muy difícil que los Brexiteers permitan que se pierda esta oportunidad.

"El impacto del brexit en la economía andaluza se analizará en Málaga", La Vanguardia (EFE), 26 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/sevilla/20161126/412183887276/el‐impacto‐del‐brexit‐en‐la‐economia‐andaluza‐se‐analizara‐en‐malaga.html

Málaga, 26 nov (EFE).‐ El impacto del "brexit" en la economía andaluza será analizado el próximo lunes en un encuentro en Málaga en el que participarán el consejero de Economía, Antonio Ramírez de Arellano, y el embajador de Reino Unido en España, Simon Manley.

Empresarios de los sectores turístico e inmobiliario y de negocios relacionados con el Reino Unido, además del alcalde de Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, está previsto que asistan a este foro, organizado por la cadena SER en Málaga.

El embajador y el consejero de la Junta plantearán su punto de vista y las consecuencias de la salida del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea, así como las medidas que se están adoptando desde las diferentes administraciones públicas ante la situación de incertidumbre generada por esta decisión.

Según los organizadores, en el encuentro se abrirá un coloquio en el que los asistentes podrán plantear sus cuestiones, preocupaciones y propuestas.

Entre los británicos que residen en la Costa del Sol existe preocupación en torno a cuestiones como las pensiones, la propiedad, la sanidad o el turismo.

El turismo británico representa algo más de la cuarta parte del turismo extranjero y el 9,4 por ciento del total de turistas recibidos en Andalucía durante 2015.

De momento, los resultados del referéndum en el que se aprobó el "brexit" no están afectando al turismo británico en la comunidad, ya que entre enero y septiembre de este año se contabilizaron casi 5,9 millones de pernoctaciones hoteleras de estos viajeros en la comunidad, un 18,3 por ciento más que en el mismo periodo de 2015.

El "brexit" también plantea interrogantes sobre el comercio exterior, ya que Reino Unido es el sexto destino de los productos de la provincia de Málaga, según los datos de Extenda. EFE

"El embajador del Reino Unido y el consejero de Economía analizan el Brexit", Cadena Ser, 25 | 11 | 2016 – Noticia

http://cadenaser.com/emisora/2016/11/25/ser_malaga/1480068912_379108.html

El embajador del Reino Unido en España, Simon Manley, y el consejero de Economía y Conocimiento de la Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Ramírez de Arellano, analizarán este lunes 28 de noviembre en Málaga los efectos del Brexit en Andalucía.

El 'Encuentros SER' tendrá lugar en el Hotel Barceló Málaga a partir de las 10h y, al mismo, ya han confirmado su asistencia más de un centenar de invitados entre alcaldes, empresarios, colectivos, instituciones, y organismos oficiales. Al evento asistirá la mayoría de los regidores de los municipios de la Costa del Sol donde reside el grueso de los ingleses en la provincia que suma, en torno, a unos 60.000 británicos empadronados.

Empresarios del sector turístico, del segmento inmobiliario, de clínicas sanitarias, así como de negocios directamente relacionados con el mercado procedente del Reino Unido, acudirán al 'Encuentro SER'. El evento está patrocinado por Holabank, la filial de CaixaBank.

Tanto el embajador del Reino Unido, como el consejero de Economía y Conocimiento de la Junta de Andalucía, intervendrán para exponer su punto de vista y plantear los efectos, consecuencias y medidas que se están adoptando desde las diferentes administraciones públicas ante la situación de incertidumbre generada por la "desconexión" del Reino Unido de Europa.

Tras estas intervenciones, los asistentes podrán participar activamente en el 'Encuentros SER' planteando sus cuestiones, preocupaciones y propuestas sobre el Brexit, ya que se abrirá un coloquio entre los participantes.

La preocupación que existe entre los británicos en torno a temas como las pensiones, la propiedad, la sanidad o el turismo está causando una gran confusión que, instituciones públicas y privadas, resuelven poco a poco conforme se va avanzando en la negociación.

El impacto en la Costa del Sol en el sector inmobiliario podría ser importante ya que el número de viviendas vendidas a extranjeros supone casi el 50% del total, y de esa cifra, la mitad de las operaciones tienen lugar en la parte occidental de Málaga. La devaluación de la libra se empieza a notar en las prisas por vender de algunos propietarios, cuyo poder adquisitivo puede verse mermado. De momento, según los expertos, los efectos son escasos.

Pero el Brexit no solo afectaría a los habitantes británicos de la zona de Málaga, el turismo también se podría ver resentido. En 2015, dos millones y medio de turistas del Reino Unido visitaron esta comunidad, es decir, más de la cuarta parte de los viajeros extranjeros y el 9% del total de los visitantes.

En cuanto a pernoctaciones, durante los ocho primeros meses de este año, los viajeros procedentes del Reino Unido han elevado su fuerte ritmo de crecimiento en Andalucía, con un aumento del 18% y rozando los cinco millones de estancias hoteleras registradas, un 20% más que en el mismo periodo del año pasado.

En cuanto a las exportaciones, Reino Unido ha comprado en el primer cuatrimestre de 2016 productos malagueños por valor de casi 37 millones de euros, según los datos de la agencia andaluza Extenda, situándose como sexto destino exterior de la provincia tras Francia, Italia, Portugal, Estados Unidos y Alemania.

Las exportaciones de Málaga al mercado británico han aumentado un 13,8% en los cuatro primeros meses del año respecto al mismo periodo del ejercicio anterior. En 2015, la cifra de exportación al Reino Unido alcanzó los 80 millones de euros en todo el ejercicio de entre el total de 1.762 millones exportados por Málaga a todo el mundo.

Las principales compras de los británicos a la provincia fueron frutas y conservas, bebidas, legumbres y hortalizas y textil.

La alargada sombra del Brexit no se limita a la Costa del Sol, Gibraltar o su entorno donde residen los británicos. Granada, Almería o la comarca malagueña de la Axarquía cuenta con comunidades de ingleses que llevan años viviendas en estas provincias y que, hasta ahora, disfrutaban de una pacífica jubilación.

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