MAE calls for clarifications in London on border controls on Romanians, after British press reports

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) remarked the statistical data published in the British press regarding the controls of the British border authorities, which would mainly target Romanian citizens, and requested clarifications at the Home Office level through the Romanian Embassy in London.

The Romanian Embassy in London is to present the elements resulting from the interaction with the Home Office and the EU Delegation at the local level, as well as to signal the concerns at the level of the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) said on Thursday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also conveyed its concern about this factual situation to the United Kingdom Embassy in Romania, with the request for clarification by the British authorities. The MAE highlighted the fact that, if the British authorities had identified difficulties in the trips made by Romanian citizens to the United Kingdom starting from January 1, 2021, following the application of the new conditions of entry and stay generated by Brexit, they should have been communicated priorly to the Romanian authorities and avoided an approach based on systematic controls, motivated by the criterion of citizenship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for a proportionate, balanced approach from the British authorities when arranging and conducting border controls in relation to Romanian citizens, in the spirit of close bilateral relations, as well as in a manner similar to those of other EU member states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalls that ensuring non-discriminatory treatment of Romanian citizens in the United Kingdom in relation to citizens of other EU member states is a constant concern of the MAE institution and management, in the context of new relations generated by the United Kingdom's exit from the EU.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that more than 60% of EU citizens detained and questioned by customs authorities in British ports after Brexit are Romanians.

According to the quoted source, official data would indicate that in the first six months of this year 7,249 passengers were stopped on arrival in UK ports by ferry or Eurotunnel. Of these, 4,482 are Romanians, while, for example, Bulgarians in the same situation were only about 600, and Poles about 400.

More than 5.5 million European citizens have applied for residency in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland until 30 June 2021, the date on which the deadline for submitting these applications expired, following Brexit, according to the latest data from the Government of in London, published on Thursday by the British press.

Divided by nationality, the most numerous applicants were Poles, Romanians and Italians. According to The Guardian, by June 30, 1.067 million Romanian citizens had applied for resident status, with Romanians in second place after Poles, who submitted 1.09 million applications.