A decision for the UK to leave the EU would also put the future of 1.3 million Brits currently living in Europe in doubt no more so than in Spain, which has more Brits living there than in any other EU countries. CCTV's correspondent takes us to Costa del Sol in Spain, where hundreds of thousands of British expats would have to return to the UK if it leaves Europe.
A slice of Britain bathed in the sunshine of Spain’s Costa del Sol. Benalmadena has attracted British holidaymakers for decades. Many of Spain’s 320,000 British residents live along this stretch of coastline.
But that may soon change if the UK votes to leave the EU. The uncertainty has many British business owners here worried.
"What’s going to happen to us if we come out of the EU. I think they are going to say all the Brits, you now have to register. Are you going to be allowed to register? Things like that. That is the biggest thing for me," said Jamie Baldwin, owner of Bar 76.
Radio Tre is an English language radio station based in the Costa del Sol. And for many of the listeners, there is only topic of discussion.
"Well it is hugely significant. I have a live radio program, a current affairs program. It has been the dominant subject for the Brits living out here. And we get hundreds and hundreds of calls since the story first broke about the Brexit. People are very worried. People want to know what’s going on and what’s going to happen to them," Tre Radio DJ Giles Brown.
Christine Rowlands and her husband have lived in Spain for some twenty-seven years. Even if they are legally allowed to stay in the country, there are other factors that could force them to leave.
"One of the issues obviously is health. And our EU card because if we travel to Britain, are we still going to be able to have reciprocal health care. How will health care in Spain, which is excellent I hasten to add, effect residents. Obviously pensions are they going to continue to be index linked. Indeed, are we going to get pensions as British citizens," said Christine Rowlands Costa, the Del Sol resident.
The uncertainty over Brexit is a real concern for most of the expats here in Spain. It is after all a step into the unknown. But not everyone here has sympathy with that opinion."
Chris Eade is a retired serviceman who once owned an apartment here. He’s since sold up. And he has little sympathy for Brits still living in Spain.
"I understand their concerns. But what I can’t agree with is the fact they want all the perks and benefits of living in Spain but they also want the safety net of the United Kingdom if things aren’t going quite their way. And for me they want the best of both worlds. So that can’t be right. Really their interests are self-interests and not the sovereignty of Great Britain," said British holidaymaker Chris Eade.
For now, Brits here can continue to enjoy a pint and a full English breakfast. But the tide could soon be about to change.
