- Title: UK courts must keep jurisdiction over EU citizens' rights in Britain -Davis
- Date: 25th July 2017
- Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (JULY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) CZERNIN PALACE IN PRAGUE EU FLAG FLYING ON MAST AT TOP OF BUILDING VARIOUS OF BREXIT SECRETARY DAVID DAVIS AND CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER LUBOMIR ZAORALEK ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN'S BREXIT SECRETARY, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "Britain, the British government wants to see a deep and special relationship with European Union in the future - that means a good trading relationship, we are very good trading partners, a good relationship on justice and home affairs and security and defense, all things that matters to all of our citizens." BRITISH DELEGATION MEMBERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN'S BREXIT SECRETARY, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "There has been a great deal of work done on the issue of citizens' rights, where we are seeking to protect the rights of 3 million European Union citizens living in United Kingdom and one million British citizens living in the European Union. We want to do this quickly as a moral imperative." CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER LUBOMIR ZAORALEK SAYING: "We are interested in keeping the high level of relationship in the economical sphere, we are interested that obligations to the EU budget are fulfilled and we are also interested in finding such legal solution which would enable good relations between Great Britain and the European Union in the future." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN'S BREXIT SECRETARY, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "The aim as I understand it, of the European Commission in arguing before the European court, is to give certainty to the citizens we are talking about. Now we are intent that this should be put in an act of parliament enforced by the British courts, and I don't think anybody has ever argued that the British courts are anything other than trustworthy in terms of defending the rights of individuals. And backed up, most importantly backed up by a treaty, so that the treaty itself is enforceable as well. That's the way we are going to do it. We do not take the view... When for example, we strike a deal with let's say the United States, we don't give the United States Supreme Court rights in Britain to enforce that, and the same with any other foreign power." CAMERAMAN MINISTERS LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 8th August 2017 19:23
- Keywords: Brexit minister David Davis EU citizen rights
- Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016R7SK7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Britain's Brexit secretary David Davis said on Tuesday (July 25) he wanted EU citizens living in Britain to depend on British courts after it leaves the bloc, not European ones.
Britain has opposed EU insistence on the rights of 3 million Europeans in Britain being guaranteed recourse to the European Court of Justice.
Protecting the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and of Britons in EU countries after the British exit from the bloc is a major sticking point in ongoing Brexit talks between London and Brussels.
Davis, when asked if Britain was willing to compromise, said: "We are intent that this should be put in an act in of parliament enforced by British courts ... and most importantly backed up by a treaty."
He was speaking at a news conference in Prague after a regular meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek.
Zaoralek insisted Britain should fulfil its obligations to the EU budget, another contentious issue in the negotiations.
The EU demands that Britain commit to paying a share of financial commitments that the Commission has estimated in the tens of billions of euros. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
