April 2026 UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly on citizens’ rights 

On 23 April, Members of the European Parliament held an exchange of views on Citizens’ rights in the EU-UK relation with:

• Monique Hawkins, Head of Policy and Advocacy, the3million
• Michal Meduna, EU co-chair of the Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights, Unit F.1 EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, Western European Partners Directorate, Secretariat-General of the European Commission
• Fiona Godfrey, Director, British in Europe
• Miranda Biddle, Chief Executive, Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements

During the meeting, the participants shared their experiences and reflections on the implementation of citizens’ rights five years after the transition period ended. 

Specific issues for EU citizens in the UK were brought to attention including the end of government funding of organisations supporting vulnerable EU citizens, a continued need for support for late applications and to make EU parents aware that their children may need their own EUSS status.  The latest announcement regarding curtailment of pre-settled status and potential risks arising from this for the approx. 1.4 million people who still hold pre-settled status, was also part of the discussion. 

Making EU citizens aware of their rights in UK remains an important area of work to ensure that all EU citizens can exercise their rights now and in future.  Much has already been done to highlight these rights and there have been positive steps from the UK Government to protect EU citizens’ rights in the UK. This includes the automatic upgrade to settled status and the simplified absence rules for pre-settled status holders that came into force in July 2025.  Despite the positive changes, the work is not done. The EU delegation remains committed to support EU citizens in the UK to exercise their rights through information sharing and awareness raising. 

You can watch the recording of this exchange of views here: https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstreaming/delegation-to-eu-uk-parliamentary-partnership-assembly-ordinary-meeting_20260423-0930-DELEGATION-DUK