The Brexit Winners: Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt, Inbound Tourists and British Universities - 7. Countries within the EU with an Aging Population
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7. EU Countries with an Aging Population
The German vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has broached the topic of offering dual citizenship to young Brits currently living in EU countries.
“Let’s offer it to the young Britons living in Germany, Italy or France so that they can remain EU citizens.” Gabriel said at a meeting with the Social Democratic Party last Saturday. “The youth of Great Britain are more clever than their bizarre political elite. For that reason we can’t raise our drawbridge on them. We have to think now about what we can offer Great Britain’s younger generation.”
British expats are more likely to be educated, open minded people looking for advancements in their career or education. In 2014, 56% of British people leaving the UK did so in search of a brighter future - looking for work.
They are also more likely to be younger, with overall emigration down by 19% but up by 8% among 19-24 year olds.
Gabriel points out that it is up to EU countries to capitalise on the population of young, educated and open minded British expats, 80% of whom voted to remain. For countries like Germany, Italy and other European countries with an ageing, declining population, opening their doors to young British expats would be a winning move.
