UK reaches agreements with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The United Kingdom has reached agreements on Brexit and citizens’ rights with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (the ‘EEA EFTA states’), and, separately, with Switzerland.

The four countries are all part of Europe’s single market, but are not full members of the European Union and are therefore not covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement and the U.K.’s EU Settlement Scheme. The U.K. now has three agreements on the table – the primary withdrawal agreement with the EU (which is awaiting a critical vote the week of Jan. 14), one with the EEA EFTA states, and one with Switzerland. The agreements largely offer the same levels of security on citizens’ rights.

Key Points:

• If the EEA-EFTA agreement is signed, it would provide certainty for U.K. citizens living in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and citizens from these countries living in the U.K. The agreement would allow these people to live, work, study and access benefits on largely the same terms post-Brexit as they do now.
• The agreement with Switzerland would provide certainty for U.K. citizens in Switzerland and Swiss citizens in the U.K. on generally the same terms.
• In the event of a “no deal” Brexit, the citizens’ rights agreement with Switzerland would still apply. The U.K. also continues to seek separate “no deal” agreement with the EEA EFTA states.

Analysis & Comments: The agreements are welcome news for some 50,000 U.K. citizens living and working in Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and roughly 30,000 EEA-EFTA and Swiss citizens in the U.K., as well as their employers. More will be known in the coming weeks about the consequences of “no deal” on the future of mobility between the U.K. and these countries.

Source: Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom.