Spain will press Britain to pay for the healthcare of British expats once the UK leaves the EU.
Spain will try to reach a deal for the UK to pay for the medical needs of some 800,000 Brits believed to be living in Spain, according to the country’s foreign minister.
“We must reach an agreement for residents to access health services in Spain, but covered by the United Kingdom” Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo is reported to have told a conference in Alicante.
Under current regulations, British citizens in Spain can use the health services there on the same basis as Spaniards do. Brits working in the country and contributing to the social insurance system are covered by Spain.
But others, such as pensioners, have their costs reimbursed by the UK. In 2014-15 the bill for this was £223 million.
The UK government would not be drawn on the result of Brexit talks.
In a statement on Tuesday, the British Embassy in Madrid said: "The negotiations to leave the EU are about to begin and it is too soon to say what the outcome will be on this issue. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.”
Many Brits in Spain are apprehensive about their future there as a result of the referendum vote. A surge has been reported in the number of Brits taking Spanish citizenship classes and a petition calling for Spain to allow dual citizenship has gained 18,000 signatures.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in March, starting the two year negotiation period on the conditions of withdrawing from the Union. At the end of this period Britain would automatically leave the EU, whether or not a deal has been reached.
