European court rejects UK nationals' appeal to keep EU citizens' rights

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - British citizens lost their EU rights following the UK’s exit from the bloc, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on Thursday.

The court dismissed three legal challenges on appeal after they were first rejected by the General Court of Justice. The three cases were brought forward by UK nationals residing in the UK and EU member states.

"The loss of the status of citizen of the European Union, and consequently the loss of the rights attached to that status, is an automatic consequence of the sole sovereign decision taken by the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union, and not of the withdrawal agreement or the Council’s decision approving that agreement," the CJEU said in a statement.

The UK left the EU in 2020 following the 2016 Brexit referendum, ending the country’s 47-year membership in the bloc.