On Wednesday, 3 April, after some back and forth, the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) eventually approved legislation allowing British citizens to visit the EU for a period of three months without requiring a visa, in the event the United Kingdom leaves the European Union either with or without a deal. The report, defended by Bulgarian MEP Sergei Stanishev (S&D), was adopted by 38 votes to eight, with three abstentions. Among the MEPs to vote against the report were former British rapporteur Claude Moraes (S&D), the current chairman of the LIBE Committee, and British MEP Daniel Dalton (ECR).
The text, which was presented by the Commission last November, places the United Kingdom on the list of third countries whose citizens do not need a visa to travel to the EU for short visits. This opportunity will be provided to British citizens if London grants reciprocity to Europeans. The regulation had hit problems between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the issue of Gibraltar, because a footnote added by the Council of the EU at the request of the Spanish government had described the territory as a British 'colony'. The text adopted in the LIBE Committee is the text from the Council of the EU, reiterating this idea of Gibraltar as a ‘colony’.
“It is no secret that the negotiations on the Gibraltar footnote were suspended, but ultimately it was Parliament that acted responsibly by putting citizens’ interests first”, commented Sergei Stanishev. “The irresponsible approach adopted by the Council of the EU seriously undermines the spirit of sincere cooperation between the EU institutions and I hope that this will not happen again in the future”, he added. The agreement should be confirmed in the plenary on Thursday 4 April. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)