The European countries will have to think about what they can do to help the young British citizens who live in their states, said Mr.Gabriel. He went on to state that “they knew better than the snobs of the British elite that the issue concerned their future”. The leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) mentioned that Berlin will have to review the legislation which does not allow individuals who do not hold an EU citizenship to obtain a German passport. He claimed that double citizenship should be available to them: “let us allow that to the young British who live in Germany, Italy or France so that they remain as citizens of the EU”.
The head of the European Green party of Germany spoke on the same subject when she proposed that “stay permits, even citizenship should be gioven” to British citizens who live in Germany for years. According to current laws, individuals have the right to apply for German citizenship after they have lived in the country for 8 years, or 7 if they have attended lessons of “amalgamation”. Knowledge of the German language is considered a prerequisite while it is estimated that 106.000 British citizens are currently residing in Germany.
According to the German news agency DPA, a significant rise in the number of British citizens who apply for German citizenship is taking place in the last days.