A proposal for associate citizenship was suggested previously in an amendment to a committee report produced by Guy Verhofstadt in the European Parliament in 2016. It was not successful. The amendment was withdrawn and the report was published without the suggestion of associate citizenship.
EU law is clear that only citizens of an EU member state can enjoy EU citizenship. Citizenship allows EU citizens to vote in European Parliament elections and to stand as candidates in those elections. It is not clear to me how associate EU citizenship would work or whether it would require treaty change by the remaining EU member states.
The Political Declaration on the UK and EU’s future relationship sets out the intention of both parties to reach an agreement on mobility that would include visa-free travel for short-term visits. I believe that these arrangements would ease travel for UK citizens while allowing the Government to have more control over the number of people coming to this country.
Last updated January 2020