A group of British expats is planning to sue European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
Fair Deal for Expats, a group which represents Britons living abroad, is fighting against Juncker’s insistence that there can be no talks until Article 50 is triggered.
But the group says that negotiations about the future of more than a million British expats must begin immediately to avoid uncertainty.
In a statement on its website, Fair Deal For Expats said: “The ban is unlawful and is harming the rights and interests of all EU citizens right now, especially those UK citizens who have made their lives or business in other EU countries, or EU citizens who have migrated to the UK.
“Prime minister Theresa May recently called for preparatory work to begin between the UK and the EU so that the negotiation process goes smoothly. That call has been roundly rejected by the EU.
“We think it is essential that headline points of agreement are reached without any further delay, guaranteeing the rights of the millions of people affected.
“Juncker has no power or authority to prohibit ‘negotiations’ before ‘notification’, the ‘order’ is unlawful, discriminatory and contravenes EU treaties. It is in the interests of all in the UK and the EU that it is set aside.”
The group has started a crowdfunding campaign to push ahead with its legal challenge.
According to the BBC, just days after the UK voted to leave the European Union in June’s referendum, Juncker said: “I have forbidden Commissioners from holding discussions with representatives from the British Government - by Presidential order, which is not my style.
“I have told all the [Commission] Directors-General that there cannot be any prior discussions with British representatives. No notification, no negotiation.”