Jill Evans (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, ‘I am European’ is the title of a campaign that my party, Plaid Cymru (the Party of Wales), launched last week calling for people to have the ability to retain their EU citizenship after the UK leaves the EU. The petition received more than 5 000 signatures in just the first few days. Last Wednesday, the House of Commons debated and backed a Plaid Cymru motion on this.

No one has the right to strip people of their citizenship against their will. That’s the view of many legal experts but that’s what will happen unless there is action now, and it’s a question of political will.

I welcome the fact that this resolution again proposes that the EU27 examine how to mitigate the loss of rights of UK citizens, and I urge the Commission and the Council to recognise that for many, their European citizenship is also an essential part of their identity.