Foreign Policies

Lajcak: Slovakia Prepared for All Brexit Alternatives

Bratislava, October 30 (TASR) – Slovakia is ready for all Brexit alternatives, however, Slovak citizens living in the United Kingdom should register themselves in the EU citizens residence scheme as soon as possible, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak (a Smer-SD nominee) said following the talks held by the inter-departmental steering committee for Brexit preparations on Wednesday.

“According to information available to us, only some 35,000 of the estimated number of 100,000 have made use of this possibility up to now,” said Lajcak. This scheme guarantees EU citizens the possibility of staying in the UK with all the rights they have had so far.
Lajcak said that Slovak citizens should check validity of their passports and identity cards. Similarly, all British citizens should arrange the necessary documents for obtaining permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia.

The minister stressed that entrepreneurs trading with Britain must prepare themselves for changes and familiarise themselves with new terms of transport of goods. “If the Brexit deal is achieved, the status quo will be preserved until the end of 2020, as Great Britain will remain a part of the internal market and Brexit impacts should be thus minimal,” stated Lajcak.

According to Lajcak, changes will only come with a new agreement between the EU and Britain, details of which are not known at the moment. “It is assumed to be tariff-free and quota-free trade, but with customs and regulatory procedures,” said the minister. Lajcak stated that Britain will highly probably leave the EU with an agreement, adding that the risk of no-deal Brexit is small.

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