Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the European Parliament’s negotiating team for the UK leaving the European Union on the legal status of a proposed associate European Union citizenship should the UK leave the EU.

The Secretary of State regularly meets with ministerial counterparts from EU institutions and from other EU Member States. We have always said that we would be content to listen to any proposals from the European Union but this is not a matter that has been raised by others in discussions. Associate citizenship is not currently in the scope of exit negotiations.

EU treaty provisions make clear that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State.