Spanish Minister Tells British Expats they are More than Welcome to Stay in Spain

No one fully knows yet, but Spain needs the brits

and will be allowed to stay in Spain

Spanish Minister Tells British Expats they are More than Welcome to Stay in Spain

It seems like the fearmongering headlines about Brexit and the potential fallout have all but vanished recently, but there are still many people who are left with unanswered questions and a lot of worrying “what if?” questions. 

While a complete 100% answer about what Brexit means for EUcitizens and Brits alike, the politicians who are going to be involved in those decisions are saying positive things at the very least.

This includes Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis, who told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 that even if the UK is unable to secure a deal on Brexit when leaving the EU, the British people in Spain would be allowed to remain where they are.

Brussels and the British government have been locked in an impasse that is a reflection of the political problems the two have been dealing with since the result of the referendum last summer. The “divorce” negotiations are so complex and complicated that there has yet to be a single cause that British PM Theresa May appears to be protecting above all others. Free trade appears to be important, but there are problems with that. This is also the case with free movement of people, which is only becoming a more heated discussion with immigration fears.

Prime Minister May has at least made some concessions for EU citizens living in the UK and says their situation won’t change, and these words were mirrored by Dastis when he said that he hopes there will be a deal and that – should no deal arise – the Spanish government will endeavour to ensure the lives of British people living there are not disrupted.

Dastis added that there is a very close social and economic relationship between Spain and Britain. Spain welcomes over 17 million Brits a year and a lot of them go to the country to live and retire, and Spain wants to continue this relationship as much as they can.

Spain has become the popular choice for Brits living in theEU. The official statistics from the UK show there are 308,805 Brits currently living in Spain, but the real number is estimated to be at least twice this. Around a third of the Brits living in Spain are over 65 years old according to this same source, and that the proportion of retirement-age expats is growing.

Spanish Cabinet Reshuffle Sees Gibraltar Agitator Replaced as Foreign Minister

Spanish Cabinet Reshuffle Sees Gibraltar Agitator Replaced as Foreign Minister

The cabinet of Mariano Rajoy has undergone a bit of a reshuffle and it’s seen the quiet removal of one of the biggest thorns in the side of Gibraltar.

Everyone is glad José Manual García-Margallo has been replaced

Spain’s newest government are keen to make their mark on Spanish politics as soon as possible. Rajoy’s decision to replace José Manual García-Margallo with a career diplomat is reassuring some people that Spain should no longer be getting into spats over The Rock.

García-Margallo spent many years vocalising his belief that Gibraltar should become Spanish territory and he was always eager to make the relationship between Spain and Britain a little worse.

Rajoy’s new cabinet isn’t as powerful as his old one and now he only has a minority conservative grip on the reins of Parliament. As such Prime Minister Rajoy appears to be taking all the chances he can get to limit any potential fights with his opponents on the left.

Alfonso Dastis is the man who will replace García-Margallo as Foreign Minister. Dastis has been a long-standing representative of Spain in the European Parliament of Brussels and is considered to be sensible and reasoned.

There was good news for the markets as Luis de Guindos was kept on as Economic Minister. De Guindos was able to keep the economy as steady as possible and help it recover during some of the toughest economic times the country has faced since Franco.

De Guindos spearheaded a mass labour reform as the country was going through a double-dip recession and has been vital to keeping a low cost of living and the economic recovery happening. He’s one of the main reasons that it recovered much faster than anyone could predict.

A parliamentary spokesman for the Popular Party said that they decided continuity was the right approach for the economic team and that they would keep the team that saw Spain reverse the economic situation of five years ago.

There are six new ministers in Rajoy’s new cabinet. The interior and defence roles have gone to new people alongside the foreign role. The new Interior Minister is Juan Ignacio Zoido. Zoido is the former mayor of Seville and he will be replacing Jorge Fernández Diaz, while Maria Dolores de Cospedal is the new Defence Minister, following her role as the Secretary General of the PP.