The 18th meeting of the Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights was held on 13 May 2026 in Brussels, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government. Representatives from EU Member States were also in attendance.
The co-chairs took stock of the implementation of the Citizens’ Rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement, and discussed elements that require further work, under the overall objective of ensuring the full, timely and faithful implementation of the Agreement.
Representatives from civil society organisations, representing EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, attended the meeting and expressed their views and experience from the ground.
The co-chairs welcomed overall progress on the issuance of documents for Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries correctly evidencing their status, while noting that many beneficiaries were yet to obtain them. They underlined the importance of ensuring a successful transition to permanent residence for all eligible EU citizens and UK nationals over the course of this year.
The co-chairs also discussed the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme (ETA) and recalled that guidance is available for Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries for a better understanding of the applicable rules on the websites of the Commission (PDF, 528KB) and of the UK Government.
The EU reiterated the concerns about the approaches that affect the rights of EU citizens when attempting to travel on a certificate of application, access to proper appeal rights for EU citizens whom the UK authorities consider were originally granted their residence status in error, and about NHS charges for those who submit a successful residence application after the June 2021 deadline, with particular consequences for newborn children.
The UK highlighted its concerns with the implementation of one member state concerning the treatment of late applications and the risk of further issues in the future as UK nationals seek to acquire permanent residence. The UK also noted that several EU Member States are not currently providing overseas criminal conviction certificates in a timely fashion, resulting in delays to EUSS application processing times.
The EU and the UK underlined their ongoing commitment to the full implementation of the Citizens’ Rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement and to continue meeting regularly to advance. They agreed to meet again in autumn 2026.
