Romanian PM on Brexit: Govt. will protect rights of Romanian citizens in UK

British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Wednesday that her Government activated the Article 50 of the EU Treaty of Lisbon, triggering the Britain’s exit from the European Union. UK will now negotiate with the EU on the closing conditions for two years. As a response, the Romanian Government said on Wednesday that it would actively get involved in protecting the rights and interests of Romanian citizens in the United Kingdom (UK). It will also promote mechanisms to strengthen the cooperation between the European Union and the post Brexit UK, and to maintain the budgetary provisions of the European Cohesion Policy and the EU's Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020. "I regret that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will no longer be our partner in the EU structures and institutions. We hope that the negotiations will be made in a constructive spirit, favoring long-term interests of both sides, as the need for closer links between the European Union and the United Kingdom cannot be doubted," said Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, according to Economica.net. The PM has sent the minister for Romanians abroad Andreea Pastirnac to the UK to meet members of the Romanian community and representatives of the British authorities. Romania is among the EU countries most affected by Brexit. Over 230,000 Romanians are currently working in the UK, ranking third by nationality after the Irish (322,000) and the Poles (916 000). Most Romanian immigrants work in areas such as manufacturing, retail and health, according to Bloomberg. editor@romania-insider.com