Poles with "settled status" to keep their rights after Brexit - EU minister

Nothing will change regarding the rights of Poles in the UK after the Brexit. It's necessary, however, to use the time until the end of the year to gain "settled status" - 400.000 Poles still haven't done so - Poland's Minister for European Affairs Konrad Szymański said on Thursday.

At night between January 31st and February 1st, exactly at midnight CET, the United Kingdom will officially cease to be a member of the European Union.

"In all certainty, Brexit is a negative event for the EU. The Union is being left by a country playing a very significant role in global trade architecture, in global, and especially Western security architecture, and that's why Poland will struggle to replace UK's membership with solutions ambitious enough to sustain far-reaching cooperation" - said Mr Szymański.

The EU affairs minister also listed key issues negotiated in the exit deal, including guarantee of citizens' rights, covering UK's financial liabilities, trade relations, as well as the question of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

"Along with the adoption of the exit deal, Poles living in the UK have received international guarantees in the form of an international agreement regarding their acquired rights" - he stressed.

"The scope is very vast, it's only the question of the right of residence, but also right to work, education, using public services, such as job centers, the NHS and other social security services, which shouldn't be changed for any of the Polish citizens living in the UK, who apply for settled status within an appropriate time" - said Mr Szymański.

Brexit will be the first case of a member state leaving the EU. As a result, the EU will lose nearly 5.5 percent of its territory, nearly 13 percent of citizens and the second-largest economy generating 15 percent of the bloc's GDP.