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British government holds consultations with Polish expats

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 23.11.2017 08:30
British government officials have met for talks in Birmingham with over 50 prominent members of the Polish diaspora based in the UK's West Midlands region.
Photo: Pixabay/Free-PhotosPhoto: Pixabay/Free-Photos

The gathering was aimed at discussing the Polish community's post-Brexit future in the UK.

The meeting, held at Birmingham's Polish Millennium House on Wednesday, was the second in a series of consultations held by the British government, aimed at reassuring Polish expats about their future in Britain once the country leaves the European Union.

Representatives of the Brexit and interior ministries fielded questions about the progress of Brexit negotiations and the planned "settled status" for UK-based EU citizens after the country withdraws from the bloc.

"The idea is to make it absolutely clear what the British government has to offer to the citizens of the EU's 27 member states: we want them to remain here and feel at home," Britain's Ambassador to Poland Jonathan Knott told Polish news agency PAP.

"We feel we have been heard out -- now we shall see what happens next," said Alicja Kaczmarek, from the Polish Expats Association in Birmingham. "The government in London should pay more attention to following through with constructive statements made by the British prime minister and ministers within the scope of local authorities, which do not always deliver on their commitments," she added.

According to the latest data released by the British statistics office, there are over a million Poles based in the UK. They comprise the largest national minority in Britain, accounting for a third of all EU citizens in the country. (aba/gs)

Source: PAP

tags: brexit
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