The EU has ordered over 2,000 UK citizens to leave the country over post-Brexit rules, between 2020 and September 2022. According to EU’s own data published on the Eurostat website, member states have kicked out 2,205 British citizens living in the bloc between 2020 and 2022. About half of those, 1,050, was rejected by the Swedish government, including Britons refused at the border, those found to be illegally living in Sweden, and others told to leave for other reasons, including post-Brexit regulations.
In comparison, Spain, where over 300,000 Britons reside, has not ordered a single UK citizen to leave the country since Brexit.
In France, only 95 people were asked to leave.
Talking to The Local, Swedish Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said: “This is actually complete news to me.
“I can’t, at this moment, explain it. But, I promise that I will look into it and get back to you.”
The move was implemented by the previous left-wing Social Democrat-Green coalition government, of which Stenergard is not a part.
But at the time, she chairs the Swedish parliament’s social security committee which processed the country’s bill on post-Brexit rules for UK residents.
Second to Sweden, during the same period of time, the Netherlands expelled 615 UK residents, figures showed.
It comes as the UK paid £2.3 billion to the EU as part of a long-standing dispute over textiles and footwear imported into the UK from China.
The final payment of £1.1 billion, made this week, brings the case to a close.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen confirmed the payment in a written statement to the Commons.
He told MPs: “Whilst the UK has now left the European Union and this is a legacy matter from before our departure, the Government is keen to resolve this long-running case once and for all and is committed to fulfilling its international obligations.”
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Mr Glen said: “The UK has argued throughout the case that it took appropriate steps to counter the fraud in question. However, since these infringement proceedings were raised, the UK has taken proportionate and increased steps to combat this fraud without impacting legitimate trade, including by liquidating suspect traders through enforcement action.
“The UK takes a comprehensive and dynamic approach to tackle customs fraud risk and evolves its responses as any new potential threats emerge.”
He told MPs that “throughout this process, the Government has also been conscious of the risk of further protracted legal proceedings, which could open UK taxpayers to not only a larger principal bill but also continued substantial interest accrual”.
