(Brussels) “There are over 3.5 million Europeans living in the UK, including some 600,000 Italians, and over one million UK citizens in the 27 EU countries. Their concerns are our top priority”. The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, said this as he received a delegation of European citizens living in the UK and of British citizens living in Europe this morning. “The European Parliament has always strived to protect their rights and will continue to do so even more strongly now – Tajani said -. In the agreement signed with the British Government, citizens’ rights are adequately protected. We do hope we will be able to find a positive solution, even at the very last minute, to avoid a no-deal Brexit”. “We certainly cannot change the content of the deal now, but one thing is clear to us: with or without a deal, citizens’ rights are inviolable”. And he went on to say: “The European Parliament will fight a political battle on this issue, I will reiterate this strongly at the next European Council” in Brussels on 21 and 22 March. “The citizens affected by Brexit – the president of the European Parliament concluded – should know that they can count on the full support of the European Parliament – be they European citizens in the UK or British citizens living in Europe”.