Brussels Brits eye going Belgian as EU referendum looms

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• published: 20 Jun 2016
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Brexit may be an abstract idea for many Britons but for compatriots living in continental Europe Thursday's EU membership referendum has a very real impact -- especially on those working for the Union itself in Brussels. "It's a very weird feeling, like your parent leaving the family home," said one of several British employees of European Union institutions who spoke to Reuters. Like others, he did not want to be named as he voiced personal opinions about a vote which could deprive Britons of the right to work for the EU. On Friday, "I could be out of a job", one of the most senior Britons in the EU civil service said. "I might keep some kind of job," said another. "But Brexit would be the end of my career." Some speak of applying for Belgian passports as long-time residents, of switching allegiance to the countries of European spouses or, for the many who were born with dual nationality, of swapping loyalties to that of their other, non-British parent. To join the 55,000-strong European civil service, staff must in general be EU citizens. So if someone loses EU citizenship they might have to quit or face not having contracts renewed. Refusing to prepare for Britain leaving the EU - a Brexit - managers have no clear plan. The eventual status of Britons in EU service would be negotiated between London and Brussels in the coming years. Trade unions say it would be hard to fire the 2,000 or so Britons, if only because English would remain the EU's main working language. "GOLDEN CAGE" For the ambitious, though, it would, in the words of a senior Briton at the European Commission, the EU executive which employs 33,000, be a "golden cage". Shorn of national patronage vital to secure roles like department head, salary, pension and so on might survive, but not hopes of prestige and influence. "I'd never get the next promotion," the official said. The Belgian government, or that of his non-British wife, would not push the interests of ex-Brits in the competition for EU posts. He and others said they would be looking to move into the private sector, for example among the army of lawyers, consultants and lobbyists that surround the EU institutions. One official noted wryly that a post-Brexit Britain may expand its 430,000-strong civil service to handle matters now dealt with by the EU -- and may have to hire from Brussels. "There are guys in DG Trade who are thinking they're quids in if Britain leaves," the official said, referring to the EU directorate-general (DG) for trade and Britain's lack of its own trade negotiators in London since it joined the bloc in 1973. For those who stay, Indridi Benediktsson may reassure. The lone Icelander in the Union service, the scientist is not an EU citizen but would like his country to join. Hired 20 years ago in a rare opening, he is happy at the EU research directorate, though accepts that his passport is a bar to getting a top job. "I don't have ambition in moving up in the hierarchy," he said. "As a normal Commission official, it's not negative in any way. For Brits in the same position it should be the same." "SWORD OF DAMOCLES" Many Britons being forced to consider changing career are angry too at being denied a vote on Thursday -- a right Britain restricts to those who have lived abroad for less than 15 years. Thousands of other Britons working in Brussels face upheaval and are also very annoyed. Lawyer Jacquelyn MacLennan fought the voting ban all the way to London's Supreme Court, but lost. "It is arbitrary and unfair," she argues. Brexit could mean lawyers like her losing the right to plead in EU courts on the basis of their membership of bars that are no longer in the EU. In Brussels for three decades, she would consider seeking Belgian citizenship: "It's wonderful that I can," she said. "But it's a shame that my country is forcing me to do that." Laura Shields, a communications coach who has campaigned for Remain among expats who still have a vote, speaks of a "sword of Damocles" hanging over Britons in the EU before the referendum. "Nobody knows what's going to happen to us," she said, citing healthcare, schooling for her son and her right to run a business in Belgium as things at risk. But taking Belgian citizenship could be a positive choice: "(It) isn't just about securing our own rights, it's about choosing Europe," she said. Some did not wait for the vote before applying to go native. "Belgium has been good to me and I feel at home here," said Peter Guilford, a former Commission spokesman who runs lobbying firm GPlus. "The trigger, though, is Brexit. It's just not worth the risk. The British in Belgium are doing this in droves." Mike Hill, who retired from the Commission in 2014, and his wife Joyce are among them. "There are so many unknowns that we decided to apply for Belgian nationality," Mike said. "For many years, to be honest, we've felt more European than British anyway," added Joyce. "There is no regret."