Spain's Brexit Commission to meet weekly to discuss strategy

SPAIN'S government is working hard to ensure the country, its British nationals and its citizens in the UK will suffer as few ill-effects as possible after Brexit, and especially in the event of a no-deal scenario – which is technically still possible, even though British Parliament intends to push through a law ruling this out.

President Pedro Sánchez had already enacted a law last November which came into force in March this year ahead of what would have been the Brexit deadline – midnight western European time on March 29, later moved to April 12 – to cover all possible contingencies, including protecting the rights of Brits residing in Spain to continue living and working in the country and accessing the national health system.

Sánchez's law also created terms which would allow airlines, ships and other forms of transport to continue entering and leaving Spain from the UK, and plans to help Spanish businesses based in Britain and those in Spain who export to or otherwise trade with the UK.

This week, the caretaking president has announced a Conference for Issues Relating to the European Union (CARUE), and confirmed it during the meeting today (Thursday) of the Interministerial Brexit Commission.

After today's discussion, Sánchez is confident Spain is 'prepared for dealing with the negative consequences of a no-deal Brexit', but wants to strengthen links between regional governments and the State in light of the possibility of the UK's leaving the European Union on October 31 without having first sealed an agreement with the remaining 27 member States.

Regional governments will each have their own concerns and potential solutions, based upon their connections, if any, with the UK, or the repercussions of a hard Brexit on them that effects felt nationwide may cause.

For the Comunidad Valenciana, Andalucía, Murcia, the Canary and Balearic Islands, and to a certain extent Catalunya, in particular, are home to the majority of the estimated 400,000 British nationals who have made Spain their home, and these and other regions – such as the Basque Country and Galicia - are native to the Spaniards who have moved to the UK for work or study.

Even those regions with few or no Brits living there would be affected by no-deal, if they export goods to the UK, and may be affected even in the event of a deal if the wares they trade with Britain are perishables.

Based upon all this, the Interministerial Brexit Commission, made up of various national and regional government ministries, will now meet weekly until at least the end of October.

Sánchez confirmed earlier this year that he was planning to give automatic permanent residence rights to all Brits living in Spain.

As permanent residents, they would be entitled to use the healthcare system and to work.

Spaniards in the UK have to apply for 'settled status', even if they were born in the country, are married to a British national or have lived and worked there for decades.