The European Commission says the UK is treating expats like “second class citizens” by denying them the vote.
Britain is “punishing” its expatriates for leaving the country by denying them the right to vote, the European Commission has said.
It further said that the UK should overturn the law which disenfranchises UK citizens after a 15 year absence from the electoral roll, according to the EU’s Justice Commission, Viviane Reding.
This rule runs contrary to the European principles of freedom of movement, she added.
“The right to vote is one of the fundamental political rights of citizenship. It is part of the very fabric of democracy,” said Ms Reding. “Depriving citizens of their right to vote once they move to another EU country is effectively tantamount to punishing citizens for having exercised their right to free movement. Such practices risk making them second-class citizens.”
Although there are more than five million British expats, only 20,000 are registered to vote.
Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta should also repeal similar rules, the commission said.
Last year Harry Shindler, 91, a war veteran and long-term resident of Italy, lost a case at the European Court of Human Rights to regain the vote.
The ECHR said in its judgement that links such as property, pensions and bank accounts did not amount to a close connection to the UK, and it is up to the British Government to choose a cut-off point.
But European Commission said the principle of having sufficient ties to a home country “seems outdated in today’s interconnected world”.
The British Justice Secretary called the announcement another example of European interference.
On Wednesday, the UK government said that the British public will be able to register to vote online instead of returning a form by post.
