Britain’s House of Lords issued a report on Wednesday which addressed the post-Brexit concerns of expats living and working in the UK.
The French ambassador, Sylvie Bermann, had told the Lords’ subcommittee on justice that the French community in Britain not only has “a number of questions” about the consequences of Brexit but also has registered “great uncertainty”.
"It is worried because of the great uncertainty about its future in the UK; its members have invested a lot in this country, both personally and professionally.
"It is also worried, because in the aftermath of the referendum some French nationals were subjected to negative or aggressive language," Bermann said in comments contained in the House of Lords report.
The ambassadors of Poland and Romania had expressed very similar sentiments to the subcommittee.
The number of Polish expats in the UK is estimated to be nearly one million, while the French number an estimated 300,000 and the Romanians 272,000.
The report said that the British government has a moral duty to provide clarity to the EU citizens within its borders.
"The government is under a moral obligation to provide certainty and legal clarity to all EU nationals working, living and studying in the UK, who contribute so significantly to the economic and cultural life of the UK. It should do so urgently," the report said.
It reminded readers that EU workers fill gaps in the labour market which have not been able to be filled by British workers. Such gaps are only likely to increase, the report said, as long as expat future remains unclear.
It also said the government should clarify what it has done to combat xenophobia.
The report also took into account the situation of British expats in EU countries.
"The anxiety of EU nationals in the UK is matched by that of UK nationals in other EU states -- the evidence we received of their distress is compelling," the report said, again urging the government to act with urgency to provide clarity.
