But the British can still leave the European Union before that deadline. As a comical consequence of this new postponement, citizens on the other side of the English Channel could be called to the polls for the European elections on 23 May if British parliamentarians do not adopt the agreement worked out with European leaders.

Parliament has until 22 May to ratify a withdrawal agreement. If the text is rejected again and the country refuses to organise European elections, the hard exit date will be brought forward to 1 June 2019.

But whatever the deadline, uncertainty remains for the architectural profession, clearly affected by the postponement of Brexit, whose agreement was rejected three times in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Architects frustrated by uncertain Brexit outcome

In its latest barometer on the outlook for the profession, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) points out fairly positive indicators for the practice of architects in all sectors (housing, tertiary). But in the testimonies of architects that feed this study, “The general feeling is one of frustration in the face of a Brexit process whose outcome is still unclear”says Adrián Malleson, director of the studies and analysis department at Riba.

At the moment, there is little information circulating about the future of British architects practising in the European Union, and vice versa. On 25 March, elected representatives of the House of Commons, the lower chamber of the British Parliament, adopted an amendment to the Architects Act 1997.

According to the British newspaper “The Architect's Journal”, this urgently approved amendment should allow architects from a country of the European Union to not be affected by the possibility of a direct exit of the United Kingdom. Until then, the principle of reciprocity was legion when an architect qualified from another member country wanted to practice in the United Kingdom.

If the amendment extends this right temporarily, “This approach will ensure the continuity of the sector” Especially in the event of a hard Brexit, said Lord Nicholas Bourne, its trustee.

Fog for independent architects

Almost a year ago, the Council of Architects of Europe (CAE) called for such a measure in a motion addressed to the European Parliament and Council, and to the British government during the negotiation of the withdrawal agreement. The CAE called in particular for “replicate the provisions of the Professional Qualifications Directive, so that European and British architects continue to benefit from Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union”.

On the French side, the Ministry of Labour indicates that in the event of a withdrawal without an agreement, British workers will benefit from “Grace period” allowing them “benefit from the right to exercise a professional activity until a residence permit is issued.”

At the end of this pardon, which will be set by decree and could last from three months to a year, British nationals will have to have a residence permit marked as “employee” or “temporary worker” depending on whether they have a CDI or CDD contract. But this approach only affects salaried architects, as the fate of the self-employed remains unknown. The Ministry of Labour simply states that “The situation of self-employed workers is governed by the right of establishment depending on the specific sectors”and invites interested parties to contact the General Directorate of Companies.

For Riba, Brexit has already had an impact on the work of architects while the United Kingdom has not yet left the European Union. In his March survey. “Uncertainty is weighing on the work of architects, with numerous reports of a drop in orders for studies, or of projects being postponed or even cancelled.” says the Royal Institute of British Architects.