France

Speech given by Véronique Martin at the European Parliament on Wednesday 10th October 2018 in Brussels

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After two horrific world wars, that decimated both my country and my family I was brought up with a deep love for the European Peace Project. I grew up to become a real anglophile and arrived in Britain at the age of 20 with the very first Erasmus exchange in 1984.

A German’s Story

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For me the ultimate goal will be that after having taken bite sizes of time out of my life for about a year I will make the move back to Germany on 30 September 2017 – after 22 years in the UK (I will turn 38 in October). On the back of this huge shuffle sits the very readable list of downsizing, selling my flat, moving into rented accommodation, terminating my job, handing over all freelance arrangements and business contacts I build in London, packing boxes, donating unwanted items, moving in itself, finding a place to live in Germany, registering the address, completing all the legalese, signing up for insurance, sorting out pension arrangements and setting up a bank account.

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Marianne’s Story

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Next time I read ‘get rid of all EU foreigner scum’ on a Facebook page (not that I go on these very often but they do exist), I remember that my mother is still taking English lessons after my 30 years in the UK, just so she can speak to my husband whose French is sketchy at best.

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Laure Ollivier-Minns’ speech for the book launch of ‘In Limbo’ on 26th July 2017

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I don’t feel at home anymore…

I’ve been settled in Britain for 31 years, but I don’t feel at home anymore.

I’ve been married to a Brit for 27 years and I have British children. But… as the rules stand, I don’t qualify for Permanent Residency and settled status because I don’t meet the Home Office criteria.

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A French EU Citizen’s Story (2)

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In September 1987 I came to London to work as a Language Assistant. I immediately liked the ancestral land of my mother’s lineage (being Breton, my mother’s family came from here many centuries ago).  They were Celts persecuted by Angles, Saxons, Danes and Jutes – my people already persecuted here so long before I was born. I think I’m starting to understand now a few decades after my arrival why my maternal ancestors left. This land episodically has a xenophobic phase.

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