Driving to Europe after Brexit? Here's when you'll need to ask your insurer for a green card

waamo

AdrianC wrote: »

Do you also insist on having private health insurance in the UK?

Same difference.

I don't. My last 3 holidays though were USA twice and Canada. I find travel insurance prudent.

AdrianC

We were talking about within the EU...

waamo

People are just going to have to make sure they have adequate cover. No different to travelling outside the EU currently.

poppasmurf_bewdley

peterbaker wrote: »

You had to pay to extend your insurances for one reason only - because you didn't think ahead when you bought them in the first place and you laid yourself open to the pitfalls of ppplanning and thereby unwittingly gave up the personal sovereignty of your wallet to faceless others for their profit not yours.

And of course you have to carry your registration document - how else do you prove you haven't stolen the car? Even with a Ryanair airport never that far away in Europe now, you can't exactly say sorry officer I'll just pop back home and get it and bring it in later this week now can you?

AdrianC wrote: »

No, you didn't HAVE to do any of that. Where you have chosen to pay extra, it's because your UK provider have chosen to restrict your cover.

Your car insurance covered you automatically, to a legal minimum. UK insurers are unusual across the continent in not extending the full comp cover automatically, and that's what you paid the extra for.

You chose a UK-only breakdown policy to start with, because it was cheaper. Again, UK providers are unusual across the continent in making extension so expensive. The German equivalent of the AA is €69/year for full personal cover for you + spouse/partner, €109 for global annual cover.

EHIC card is free for reciprocal health cover.

I understand what you are both saying. The trip was a last minute decision, not having driven abroad for almost 20 years, hence not having bought the appropriate insurances beforehand - that has been rectified now.

What I was trying to say was that being in the EU has made no difference whatsoever to what I had to do in the 70's, 80's and 90's. So leaving the EU next month shouldn't make a difference.

In the 70's and 80's, we were in the EEC - a trading block, not the political union which is the EU.

And the E111 card is not a catch all solution to medical emergencies.

It just seems to me that all these promises of hassle free inter country travel just hasn't materialised so we've nothing to lose after Independence Day.

AdrianC

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

In the 70's and 80's, we were in the EEC - a trading block, not the political union which is the EU.

It's the same thing.
The UK was a substantial part of the decision to turn the EEC into the EU. That happened in 1992, with the Maastricht Treaty. At the time, there were 12 member states, and the UK had 81 of the 518 MEPs, 15.5% of the voting strength. Now, there are 28 members (the UK could have vetoed any or every one of them, but chose not to), and the UK has 73 of the 751 MEPs, 9.7% of the voting strength.

And the E111 card is not a catch all solution to medical emergencies.

E111 was replaced by EHIC in 2004. It gives you the exact same access to healthcare in any EU country as a local resident.

It just seems to me that all these promises of hassle free inter country travel just hasn't materialised

If a No Deal exit does happen, you'll find out for sure just how wrong that is.

At the very simplest level, have you never been through customs at any European airport and noticed how there are three channels? Domestic and EU, Non-EU/Nothing to Declare, Non-EU/Something to Declare?

peterbaker

waamo wrote: »

Isn't that what travel insurance is for? Personally whenever I go abroad I make sure I have appropriate cover in place.

What's "appropriate"? Sorry, but isn't that a word often used by those who can't be bothered to explain what they think they mean but are just looking for approving nods from an equally knowledgeable or more often equally uninformed mob?

So what was EHIC for? Are you simply saying you never understood the arrangement as a benefit of your EU membership?

Insurance is great if you understand why you are buying it and how it works. Millions do buy it on little more than a "something is better than nothing" basis without ever exploring the extent of the something. But it's true, something is better than nothing, but belt and braces is perhaps best?

And so is EHIC nothing? What's the best insurance cover then?

waamo

Appropriate depends on your individual needs. Some people like an all singing all dancing level of cover others may want basic cover.

Insurance isn't that complicated and if you don't understand it how do you manage each year come renewal time for your vehicle or household insurance?

poppasmurf_bewdley

AdrianC wrote: »

It's the same thing.
The UK was a substantial part of the decision to turn the EEC into the EU. That happened in 1992, with the Maastricht Treaty. At the time, there were 12 member states, and the UK had 81 of the 518 MEPs, 15.5% of the voting strength. Now, there are 28 members (the UK could have vetoed any or every one of them, but chose not to), and the UK has 73 of the 751 MEPs, 9.7% of the voting strength.

Let's not forget that the electorate were NEVER consulted on any of that, unlike many other EU countries. When the British Electorate WERE consulted, they showed what they thought of the EU!

AdrianC

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Let's not forget that the electorate were NEVER consulted on any of that, unlike many other EU countries.

3 of 12 held binding referenda.
France (50.8% in favour)
Denmark (49.3% in favour, 56.7% after four amendments were made to the treaty.)
Ireland (69.1% in favour).
Italy held an advisory referendum (88.1% in favour).
The other eight, including the UK, simply ratified it.

And I'm sure you're about to mention Nice in 2001 - Ireland rejected it (53.9% against), then passed it (61.9% for) again after various amendments - and Lisbon in 2008 (again, Ireland rejected it 53.2% against, then passed it 67.1% in favour after amendments). Nobody else had a referendum on either.

Did you also forget the 2005 European Union Constitution treaty? Four countries held referenda, and another six had scheduled them. Spain and Lux passed it, but France and NL rejected it, so it was withdrawn by the EU before Czech, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and the UK could vote.

Perhaps you've forgotten Westminster passing the 2011 European Union Act, which meant that any future treaties must pass a legally binding referendum before the UK could ratify them? Even if the A50 notification gets rescinded or delayed now, that has already been repealed as part of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. You want those protections? They've already gone, thanks directly to brexit.

Those amendments Denmark got to Maastricht after rejecting the first referendum, btw?
Exemption from the Euro (the UK had already negotiated it)
Exemption from military cooperation (the UK had been part since it was founded in 1954 - it's now part of the EU's common security policy)
Some changed wording around European citizenship (adopted by all EU members in the Amsterdam treaty in 1997)
An opt-out for Justice co-operation (the UK had already negotiated case-by-case opt-in)

poppasmurf_bewdley

AdrianC wrote: »

3 of 12 held binding referenda.
France (50.8% in favour)
Denmark (49.3% in favour, 56.7% after four amendments were made to the treaty.)
Ireland (69.1% in favour).
Italy held an advisory referendum (88.1% in favour).
The other eight, including the UK, simply ratified it.

And I'm sure you're about to mention Nice in 2001 - Ireland rejected it (53.9% against), then passed it (61.9% for) again after various amendments - and Lisbon in 2008 (again, Ireland rejected it 53.2% against, then passed it 67.1% in favour after amendments). Nobody else had a referendum on either.
Did you also forget the 2005 European Union Constitution treaty? Four countries held referenda, and another six had scheduled them. Spain and Lux passed it, but France and NL rejected it, so it was withdrawn by the EU before Czech, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and the UK could vote.

Perhaps you've forgotten Westminster passing the 2011 European Union Act, which meant that any future treaties must pass a legally binding referendum before the UK could ratify them? Even if the A50 notification gets rescinded or delayed now, that has already been repealed as part of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. You want those protections? They've already gone, thanks directly to brexit.

Those amendments Denmark got to Maastricht after rejecting the first referendum, btw?
Exemption from the Euro (the UK had already negotiated it)
Exemption from military cooperation (the UK had been part since it was founded in 1954 - it's now part of the EU's common security policy)
Some changed wording around European citizenship (adopted by all EU members in the Amsterdam treaty in 1997)
An opt-out for Justice co-operation (the UK had already negotiated case-by-case opt-in)

All of which supports what I said about the British Electorate not being consulted.

As for the 2011 European Union Act, let's not forget that the European Union(Withdrawal) Act 2018 does not come into effect until THE MOMENT we leave the EU on 29th March so the 2011 Act will be irrelevant. At the moment, we have lost nothing.