the number of britons taking up eu citizenship of another member state more than doubled in the year of the brexit referendum, official eu figures show.  eurostat, the eu’s statistics agency, shows that 6,555 british nationals acquired such citizenship in 2016, up from 2,478 in 2015.  germany was the biggest country for britons to adopt the citizenship of, with 2,702. france and belgium followed with 517 and 506 citizens each.  other​ significant beneficiaries of british citizens were cyprus, ireland and italy.  “we are seeing a brexodus of people giving up their passports and rushing to take citizenship in eu countries as brexit draws near,” paul butters, a spokesperson for the pro-eu best for britain campaign, said.  “people have done this to give themselves some security. this should make david davis ashamed that people feel they have no option but to give up their citizenship or apply to be a dual national. these people are giving up part of their identity to try to secure their future.  “the government don’t seem to care and their only interest is their ill advised ‘tens of thousands’ immigration target.  “the government dragged their feet over eu citizens’ rights and this is the real life manifestation of their tactics. the government should be incredibly embarrassed today.”  inside politics newsletter the latest news on brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday please enter your email address please enter a valid email address please enter a valid email address sign up thanks for signing up to the inside politics newsletter {{#verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} {{^verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} i would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from the independent. read our privacy notice inside politics newsletter the latest news on brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday thanks for signing up to the inside politics newsletter {{#verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} {{^verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} i would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from the independent. read our privacy notice  ✕ what is still needed to complete a deal with the eu?  british citizens will lose the automatic rights to work and settle in other eu countries after brexit, making uk passports less powerful. the government has, however, said british passports will be changed to blue, which brexiteers claimed could not be the case while the uk was still in the bloc.  the eu referendum was held on 23 june 2016 meaning that any acceleration of applications for citizenship after the referendum would only have applied in the second half of the year.  the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu show all 8 1 /8 the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu post-brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in norfolk. one possible post-brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. pa the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu customs union a key point in the negotiations remains britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the eu customs union. since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as turkey does? no 10 has so far insisted that “brexit means brexit” and that britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the uk’s economic outlook become clearer. alamy the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu northern ireland-irish border though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. to ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. in december, the conservative party’s coalition partners, the dup, refused a draft agreement that would place the uk/eu border in the irish sea due to its potential to undermine the union. may has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found. getty the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu transition period despite protests from a small number of conservative mps, the government and the eu are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after brexit. the talks, however, have reached an impasse. though may has agreed that the uk will continue to contribute to the eu budget until 2021, the pm wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the uk will have to adhere to. chief negotiator michel barnier has said the uk must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from british ministers or meps. epa the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu rights of eu citizens living the uk the prime minister has promised eu citizens already living in the uk the right to live and work here after brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after brexit day remains unclear. may insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the eu believe the cut-off point should be later. getty the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu future trade agreement with the eu despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the eu. infighting within the cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some mps content that no deal is better than a bad deal while others rally behind single market access. the eu has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the uk remaining in the customs union. getty the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu future trade agreements internationally the government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to china, india and canada for may, and the now infamous invitation to us president donald trump to visit london. however the uk cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the eu, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the pm. the eu has said the uk cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. epa the biggest issues facing uk on leaving eu financial services banks in the uk will be hit hard regardless of the brexit outcome. the eu has refused to give british banks passporting rights to trade within the eu, dashing hopes of a special city deal. however according to new reports germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the uk continues paying into the eu budget even after the transition period. getty  ireland’s department of foreign affairs said in late 2017 that more than a fifth of all irish passports issued in the last year went to people living in the uk.  the department in dublin said more than 779,000 of the republic’s passports were issued in 2017, a record figure, with 81,752 irish citizens in northern ireland being among those who received passports.  the european parliament has repeatedly called in its resolutions for exploration of some mechanism by which british people can opt-in to keep their eu citizenship, but little actual movement has been made on this so far in talks – with such a system looking increasingly unlikely.
brexit: number of britons getting eu citizenship of another country doubles