British in Europe

What British in Europe does

British in Europe (BiE) is a French-registered not-for-profit association (ASBL, Loi 1901, registration no. W751242326) headquartered at 48 rue St Honoré, Paris, that operates as the largest coalition representing approximately 1.2-1.3 million UK citizens living in the European Union. Founded in early 2017 to advocate for citizens' rights during Brexit negotiations, BiE coordinates 20+ national grassroots member organizations across 19 EU member states plus Norway and Switzerland, including affiliates such as British in Germany, British in France (British Community Committee), Eurocitizens in Spain, and Brexpats in Spain. Its mission is the protection and advancement of UK nationals' rights under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, covering residency, healthcare, social security, professional qualifications, family reunification, and voting rights.

The coalition's product portfolio comprises four core offerings: Project ICE ('Inform, Connect, Empower'), a 20-month capacity-building initiative funded by the European Commission under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme; the ICE Toolkit, an information and advocacy resource on the Withdrawal Agreement and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; the Citizens' Rights Information Services, providing general guidance on residency, working rights, pensions, and healthcare; and the Voting Rights Campaign, which advocates for abolition of the 15-year overseas voting rule and runs get-out-the-vote mobilization for UK diaspora voters. The organization undertakes these activities with a 10-person Steering Team operating largely on a voluntary basis, supported by pro bono legal counsel from firms such as White & Case.

BiE's business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Documented funding includes a 'substantial' European Commission CERV grant awarded in March 2024 for the ICE project, a 12-month grant from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust starting November 2022 to support voting rights advocacy, and individual donations accepted via the organization's website. The coalition faced a near-closure in 2021-2022 due to funding shortfalls and continued on a voluntary basis until new grants stabilized operations. BiE is recognized as a trusted interlocutor by the UK Government, the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament, and has secured concrete policy outcomes including extension of the right of absence from two to five years, dual-national protections, home university fee status for UK students, and Germany's adoption of a declaratory residency system.

Name

British in Europe

Legal name

British in Europe ASBL

Website

https://britishineurope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

British in Europe is a French-registered nonprofit coalition that advocates for the residency, voting, and citizenship rights of approximately 1.2 million UK citizens living in the EU, coordinating 20+ national grassroots groups across 19 member states and Norway and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Citizens Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), International Affairs (92812), Political Organizations (81394)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consular Services & Citizen Assistance (BPAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Citizens rights advocacy
• Brexit withdrawal agreement
• Voting rights campaign
• UK diaspora coalition
• NGO advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. European Commission CERV Programme Grant: Substantial EU grant awarded for the 20-month ICE (Inform, Connect, Empower) project under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme for awareness raising and capacity-building around the Withdrawal Agreement.
2. Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Funding: 12-month funding secured November 2022 to support campaign for secondary implementing legislation for Elections Act 2022 and voting rights advocacy.
3. Individual Donations: Donations from individuals supporting the organization's work; website provides donation capability via PayPal.
4. Volunteer-Based Operations: Organization operates substantially on volunteer basis, with Steering Team members contributing their expertise without compensation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

British in Europe is a coalition-based advocacy organization that protects and promotes the rights of UK citizens living in the EU following Brexit. It delivers information services on the Withdrawal Agreement, runs advocacy campaigns (notably the Voting Rights Campaign and Project ICE), and represents approximately 1.2 million UK citizens through direct lobbying of UK government, European Commission, Council, European Parliament, and national parliaments. Services are provided free of charge to UK citizens in the EU and supported primarily through grants and donations.

Product overview

British in Europe is a non-profit advocacy coalition organization, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of advocacy programs and information services focused on protecting the rights of UK citizens living in the EU after Brexit. The core offerings include Project ICE (Inform, Connect, Empower), a 20-month EU-funded capacity building initiative, and the ICE Toolkit providing resources on Withdrawal Agreement rights. The organization also delivers Citizens' Rights Information Services and operates a Voting Rights Campaign. These are advocacy and information programs rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ICE Toolkit An information and advocacy toolkit developed under the Inform, Connect, Empower (ICE) project to provide awareness raising and capacity-building resources for UK citizens living in the EU regarding their rights under the EU/UK Withdrawal Agreement and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
• Project ICE (Inform, Connect, Empower) A 20-month EU-funded initiative under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme designed to investigate the implementation of the Charter through how the EU/UK Withdrawal Agreement is applied to over 1.2 million UK citizens living in the EU, focused on capacity building, legal advocacy training, and awareness raising.
• Citizens' Rights Information Services General advice and support on Withdrawal Agreement implementation, including explainers on citizens' rights covering topics such as working rights, professional qualifications, pensions, healthcare, and mobile citizens.
• Voting Rights Campaign A campaign focused on restoring voting rights for UK citizens living abroad, including removing the 15-year rule on overseas voting and encouraging newly re-enfranchised voters to register to vote in UK elections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Influenced Withdrawal Agreement provisions including extension of right of absence from 2 to 5 years and dual national rights protections
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• White & Case LLPminorOthers · 1 January 2020International law firm providing pro bono legal representation for BiE's intervention in Shindler v Council and JU v Council cases at the General Court of the EU. Team led by Nicholas Forwood QC.
• the3millioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy coalition representing EU27 citizens in the UK, working together on citizens' rights issues during Brexit negotiations and implementation. BiE and the3million have presented together at Brussels events and submitted joint letters to UK government.
• Eurocitizens (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiE affiliate organization in Spain, lobbying both UK and Spanish governments on behalf of UK citizens. Nigel Aston serves as President of Eurocitizens.
• British in GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiE member organization in Germany. Jane Golding also serves as chair of British in Germany. Led campaign for declaratory system which influenced Germany's residency decisions.
• British in France/BCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiE member organization (British Community Committee) defending interests of UK nationals in France, particularly after Brexit referendum. Christopher Chantrey served as chair.
• Reunite Families UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on family reunification rights in the UK, collaborating on advocacy for UK citizens returning with non-British family members.
• Brexpats in SpainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on voting rights project, representing UK citizens in Spain on get-out-the-vote campaign.
• Electoral Commission (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with UK Electoral Commission on awareness-raising campaign for voter registration among newly re-enfranchised UK citizens abroad.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EuroCitizens (Spain): BiE affiliate in Spain, with Nigel Aston (BiE Vice Chair) serving as President. Lobbies both UK and Spanish governments on behalf of UK citizens in Spain; runs the same citizens' rights advocacy model in a different national context.
• the3million: Direct counterpart coalition representing EU27 citizens living in the UK post-Brexit. Operates an identical model (coalition-based advocacy, grassroots affiliates, recognized by UK and EU institutions), co-advocates with BiE on joint letters and Brussels events, and competes for the same Brexit-related grant funding pools.
• British in Germany: BiE's affiliated member organization in Germany, chaired by Jane Golding (also BiE Chair). Operates the same citizens' rights advocacy model at country level, with particular success influencing Germany's declaratory residency system. Most operationally intertwined peer.
• New Europeans: UK-registered advocacy organization promoting the rights of EU and non-EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in Europe. Shares citizens' rights post-Brexit mission, overlapping constituency, and EU/UK parliamentary advocacy approach.
• British in France (British Community Committee): BiE-affiliated member organization representing UK nationals in France, chaired by Christopher Chantrey (BiE Vice Treasurer). Operates the same advocacy model at country level, particularly focused on residency rights and the high concentration of UK citizens in France.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty (UK human rights organization): Established UK-wide civil liberties and human rights NGO. Much larger in scope and resources than BiE, with paid staff and legal teams. Overlaps with BiE on rights-based advocacy (residency, family reunification) but operates across the full UK human rights agenda rather than Brexit-specific issues.
• European Movement UK: Cross-party UK organization advocating for close UK-EU relations. Addresses many of the same constituency concerns as BiE (citizens' rights, voting rights of overseas UK citizens) but at a broader political-strategic level rather than focused on individual rights enforcement.
• Amnesty International UK: Major UK human rights NGO with paid staff, legal teams, and global brand. Has standing engagement on EU citizens' rights post-Brexit (e.g., judicial review interventions) and overlaps with BiE's human rights framing, though operates across many other rights areas.

Emerging players

• ECREU (Expat Citizen Rights in the EU): Co-founded by Roger Boaden (BiE Steering Team member). Focuses on expat citizen rights across the EU with a similar advocacy approach but less institutional recognition and scale than BiE; an emerging player with partial overlap rather than a national affiliate.
• Reunite Families UK: Partner organization focused specifically on family reunification rights for UK citizens returning with non-British family members. Operates in a narrower sub-issue area where BiE has also won key concessions (Immigration Bill Amendment 11).

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BritishInEurope
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMc44Wu9w2SgY-XvoEeJf5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/britishineurope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-in-europe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about British in Europe