Romanians receive rough justice at UK borders

The high number of EU citizens from Romania stopped and questioned before entering the UK during the first half of 2021 has prompted one MEP from Romania to call for an investigation.

Freedom of movement rules changed after Brexit and in the first six months of this year around 60% of the over 7,000 EU citizens questioned on entry into the UK were Romanian. Over one million Romanian nationals have reportedly applied for the EU Settlement Scheme that allows EU citizens to live and work in the UK.

MEP Victor Negrescu says the high percentage of Romanians questioned at UK borders amounts to discrimination and has requested a European Commission investigation into the matter. For its part, the Home Office denies that specific nationalities are being targeted for interviews on entry into the UK.

Since Brexit, EU citizens have only had digital – but not physical – proof of status to present to UK border officials. Officials from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have submitted an official letter to the British government asking for a change in this state of affairs, to lessen confusion and provide EU citizens settled in the UK with the same rights as those from elsewhere.

Sources: Euractiv, Romania Insider