One of the aims of the withdrawal agreement is to protect citizens' rights. How will they be safeguarded?

Citizens' rights are safeguarded on several levels. First of all, on the level of the withdrawal agreement itself. The European Parliament managed to include all benefits and social security rights in the withdrawal agreement, as well as the rights of future children and judicial oversight by the European Court of Justice.

Secondly, we also secured citizens' rights on the level of the "EU settlement scheme" that the UK has put in place. For example: we made sure the citizens no longer have to pay a fee to obtain settled status, we ensured that there is only need for one application per family and there is more leniency on the documents to prove residency.

And then there is the third level on which we obtained assurances from the UK authorities for a fair implementation of both the withdrawal agreement and the EU settlement scheme - the practical side of citizens' rights so to speak.

There are still some outstanding issues – like the need for a physical document and the need for a truly independent monitoring authority – but the European Parliament is determined to use the negotiations on the future relationship as leverage to further secure the practical side of citizens' rights.