Dutch foreign minister welcomes Brexit deal, will study terms closely

DutchNews, November 15, 2018 - By Robin Pascoe

News that the British cabinet has agreed to support Wednesday’s agreement on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU has been welcomed by Dutch foreign affairs minister Stef Blok as ‘a good step’.

‘The Netherlands and the other 27 members states will study the concept text, including the political declaration, very carefully,’ Blok said. ‘The way the deal over customs union as a back stop demands close examination.’ 

The Dutch government, he said, will also look at the documents from the perspective of the Dutch interest, and ‘extra attention will be paid to agreements on the level playing field and fishing.’ 

The Netherlands has been particularly concerned about the impact of Britain’s withdrawal on the Dutch fishing industry, much of which is based in the UK.

Agreement on the deal, which still has to be approved by European leaders, the European parliament and the British parliament, has led to sharply divided reactions in both the Netherlands and Britain. 

‘The mindf*ck is that many are now relieved that there is initial agreement, while of course the entire #Brexit affairs is a lose-lose that we will long remember,’ said Dutch MEP Marietje Schaake on Twitter. 

Businessman Stephen Huyton, who has lived in the Netherlands for 23 years, says the deal avoids the ‘cliff edge’ scenario but still has a long way to go. 

‘Since the document was published last night and is almost 600 pages long, it’s going to be a case of the devil in the detail. Until the experts have read the documents in full I will reserve judgement,’ he told DutchNews.nl. 

‘On a personal note, as I understand it, a UK national will cease to be an EU resident as from end March so will be obliged to use non EU passport lines like somebody from, say, Australia. This is going to be a challenge at Schiphol.’ 

Citizens’ rights 

The parts of the withdrawal agreement on citizens rights were agreed in March and have not changed since then despite a Europe-wide campaign for change. 

This means British nationals will be able to stay, work and use the healthcare services in the Netherlands but will lose their right to move to another EU country. 

Some 87,000 people in the Netherlands currently hold British nationality, according to the latest figures from national statistics office CBS. 

Blok said last month the Netherlands will ensure a ‘decent solution‘ for British citizens in the Netherlands if there is a no-deal Brexit. 

‘We will not abandon these people,’ Blok said. ‘Even in a no-deal scenario we will make sure there is a decent solution so that British nationals can stay in our country after March 30, 2019.’ 

DutchNews.nl has asked both the foreign affairs ministry and the immigration service IND for comment.