Hollande pledge to Britons in France

PRESIDENT François Hollande has promised that Britons living in France will be welcome to stay in the country after Brexit, but warned the UK that it cannot expect access to the single market without free movement.

At a joint press conference with new Prime Minister Theresa May following a meeting at the Élysée Palace, Mr Hollande said: "There is no doubt that French people in the UK will be able to continue to live and work there, and equally British people who are in France can continue to work and spend as much time as they want here."
He is the first European leader to publicly guarantee the future of expat Britons in an EU country.
But Mr Hollande warned that the UK cannot expect to enjoy access to the European single market if it wants to restrict the free movement of EU citizens.
He said: "It’s the most crucial point. That’s the point that will be the subject of the negotiation. The UK today has access to the single market because it respects the four freedoms.
“There cannot be freedom of movement of goods, free movement of capital, free movement of services if there isn’t a free movement of people. It will be a choice facing the UK – remain in the single market and assume the free movement that goes with it or to have another status.”
Mrs May arrived in Paris after visiting Berlin for similar talks with Angela Merkel.

Following that meeting, Mrs May repeated her insistence that the UK would not invoke Article 50 until the end of the year at the earliest.
Mrs Merkel said she supported the decision to delay starting the formal process of leaving the EU, saying it was 'absolutely understandable' that the UK government wanted 'take a moment first and seek to identify its interests' following last month's referendum.
She added: “We are listening to the UK, we are listening to Britain what it actually wants and then we will give the right response.”
Mr Hollande said he understood that the new government needed time to consider its position. But he added: “But let me repeat, the sooner the better in the common interests of Europe … because uncertainty is the greatest danger.”
Both leaders, however, emphasised their commitment to the Le Touquet agreement, which maintains a border at Calais.
Mrs May said: “President Hollande and interior minister [Bernard] Cazeneuve have both been very clear that they wish the Le Touquet agreement to stay. I want the Le Touquet agreement to stay. Britain now having taken the decision to leave the EU, Le Touquet agreement should stay.”

Feature from The Connexion newspaper