1. Travelling in the EU
British
visitors to mainland Europe would no longer be “fast-tracked” through the EU
lines at passport control, unless the UK was willing to agree that there would
still be full free movement of people between the UK and EU. It is unlikely
that the EU would require British citizens to have visas to visit the EU - as
long as the UK, in return, didn’t demand that the citizens of any EU country
(such as Romania) needed a visa to visit Britain.
2. Moving to another EU country to
live, work or retire
British
citizens can at present move easily to another EU country. If we left the EU,
they would have to satisfy more restrictive rules on getting a work permit,
setting up a business, studying and bringing family members to join them. More
than two million Brits already live in another EU member state. Pensioners
could find that their pensions are no longer increased every year at the same
rate as those of people living in the UK - as happens now.
3. The second home on the Med?
EU
countries could ban UK citizens from buying second homes in their countries
after Brexit, and existing homes could be taxed more heavily because EU rules
on free movement of capital would no longer apply to Britons.
4. Consumer rights
EU
laws provide for refunds or other remedies for consumers: for instance, in
cases involving defective products, unfair contract terms or flights that are
delayed or cancelled. As with employment and environmental laws, businesses
could urge that these standards be lowered.
5. Trade with the EU
Some
jobs linked to trade with the EU could be lost, depending on whether the future
EU/UK treaty fully guarantees existing rules on access to the EU market. There
would certainly be less agricultural trade between the UK and the EU, unless
(improbably) the UK decided to continue to apply the EU’s common agricultural
policy.
6. Trade with the rest of the world
The
UK would have to replace the trade deals which the EU already has with some
non-EU countries, such as Korea. On the other hand, the UK would be free after
Brexit to sign trade deals with countries such as China with which the EU has
not signed deals. In either case, the non-EU countries would have to be willing
to sign these deals, too.
7. Family issues, maintenance and
divorce
There
is currently a range of EU laws relating to maintenance payments,
simplification of divorce proceedings, and allowing people to challenge
parental child abductions, where someone from another EU country is involved.
People in Britain might no longer benefit from these arrangements.
8. Pay, holidays, maternity and
paternity leave
EU
law guarantees workers’ rights in areas such as maternity and paternity leave,
holiday pay and in the event of mass redundancies. There would be pressure from
business groups to relax these standards.
9. Clean beaches and the
environment
The
EU requires its member states to apply basic rules on issues such as the
cleanliness of beaches, pollution, the planning process and public access to
information about the environment. Again, there would be demands to reduce the
regulatory burden.
10. Crime
EU
measures such as the European arrest warrant make it easier to return fugitives
to face trial and to transfer prisoners to their home country. Brexit could
mean a return to less effective methods of cooperation. For instance, many EU
countries would refuse to extradite their citizens to the UK.
