I think your missing the point entirely - as part of the EU treaties, you have the right seek the support of any other EU state’s embassy if yours is unavailable. I never said the EU (as a standalone entity) would help directly.
I WAS safer as soon as I entered the EU/EEA as I had the right to enter and reside in the that country- this was not the case with a non-EU/EEA country where I could be refused entry at the border. I also know that country is party to the ECHR too.
I would also refute ‘often UK interests are represented by a non EU country’ - EU countries are in union and therefore by definition closer than a third country.
Anyway, this is all moot for me as I have a EEA Passport and can leave the Brexit suckers in the non EU/EEA/CH slow lane with those from Outer Mongolia
On this point only, I will wholeheartedly agree! but only from an entirely selfish personal point of view. I’ve been to mainland Europe many times in my former career for work purposes, but apart from a 3 night break in the Spanish border town with Gibraltar almost a decade ago now, I haven’t been on holiday to anywhere in mainland Europe since I was 17 when I spent 2 weeks in Southern Italy. That was 36 years ago. In that time, I’ve travelled to well over 100 countries and just worked my way through the immigration queue with everyone else and it’s not bothered me one iota. I’m completely used to queueing, it’s part of British life
I travel for work and pleasure to, via or frm the rest of Europe and hazard a guess that you are in the minority by not doing some of that . In terms of Covid restrictions, I was able to travel when I wouldn’t have been able to even enter with my third country UK Passport.
Basically, and just to reiterate, I don’t do any travel in mainland Continental Europe, so I don’t have to endure the queues you so detest that U.K citizens apparently now have to endure.
I trust you don’t ever bother going to the US on holiday then? because being a European visitor doesn’t earn you any queue jumping rights there, you just stand in line with every other foreigner until they’ve fingerprinted and retinal scanned you.
Caribbean, my usual holiday destination, not really any huge nightmares getting through immigration queues.
My only concern now should I ever wish to revisit the Bloc, would be that whichever country immigration I went through, had the decency to give an exit stamp, something it seems the Spanish couldn’t be bothered to do:
I’m sure you have differing views but the UK Passport is now unarguably much less powerful in the rest of the continent & all so people such are yourself don’t have a few extra words on the cover. I don’t have to deal with this but many people I know do and this will only grow once Covid restrictions are eased.
My non-UK Passport has come in handy many times outside the EU/EEA/CH zone too but that’s for another time
In Continental mainland Europe, yes, absolutely undoubtedly the case. For myself as someone who quite literally gave up visiting mainland Europe over 3 decades ago, I’d argue nothing has changed for me personally on that front.
I’m assuming from your posts, that you are a dual citizen, of which you clearly hold a British passport and another of a mainland European country? I’m also going to assume that you are now so disappointed with the new British passport, that you won’t be wasting £75 on renewing it when it expires? After all if I take your opinion, the British passport is now a weakened shadow of its former self with zero gravitas and won’t do you any favours whatsoever when travelling around the globe. Your second passport it seems to me, will do just fine. My view from your sentiment, is that it would be quite hypocritical to renew your British passport based on the fact that the words ‘European Union’ no longer appear on the front cover and to quote you again “is now unarguably much less powerful in the rest of the continent”. You have therefore won your argument there!
For me personally, purely from a visitation perspective because I don’t conduct any business whatsoever there, mainland Continental Europe might as well be in the South Pacific because I prefer to holiday elsewhere. I hardly think the South Africans or the various immigration authorities in the Caribbean are going to treat me as a third rate citizen because I now have a blue passport with a couple of words missing from it.
I don’t get the post, he’s entirely correct. You’re considering this very subjectively. Objectively, the passport is weaker. We need visas to do business travel within the EU now, same with Schengen Visas to visit multiple EU countries (even for leisure). We also need time on our passports, post-visit.
While the impact of this has been nullified somewhat due to the sudden acceptability and emergence of video platforms such as zoom, sometimes this isn’t an option.
But most of that isn’t a problem for me, that’s my point. I don’t care about whether people now need Schengen Visas or visas to do business because it doesn’t affect me at all. I get it you and others may think that’s entirely selfish, which of course it is, but there it is and I’m not afraid of saying it.
As for needing time on passports post visit, I believe lots of countries stipulate that as a requirement pre-visit. Many require one to have six months validity remaining on a passport after the visit. That of course may well not have been a requirement pre-BREXIT for mainland Europe, folks will just have to get used to it.
It’s rare I agree with your views but this time I must say you’re spot on. Subjective views don’t really matter. The fact is that the passport is now less powerful and grants you fewer protections abroad
Here’s something that actually could affect you, then.
You now no longer have the right to seek consular protection or help from an EU nation, should the UK not have an embassy there. France will not come to your aid (and I do believe there are countries where France has embassies that we don’t, as well as a significant military presence, mainly but not exclusive to, on the African continent).
. In terms of Covid restrictions, I was able to travel when I wouldn’t have been able to even enter with my third country UK Passport.
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