British woman in France wins back pre-Brexit right to vote in EU elections

Court decision in favour of Alice Bouilliez reignites push for bilateral treaty on electoral enfranchisement

A French court has ordered electoral officials to restore a British woman's pre-Brexit right to vote in European elections, triggering calls for a renewed push for a bilateral treaty on electoral enfranchisement in each other's countries.

Alice Bouilliez, a former British civil servant who has lived in France for 38 years, said she was extremely surprised" but delighted that the court in Auch in south-west France had ordered that the authorities put her name back on the electoral register for the EU elections.

This article was amended on 29 May 2025. The court ordered that Alice Bouilliez be restored her right to vote in European elections, but not French national elections as an earlier version said.