EU role in consular protection
The European Commission is committed to helping EU governments provide consular protection to nationals of other EU Member States – in particular through:
- recommending that new passports issued in the EU include a version of this wording to indicate your rights:
“Every citizen of the Union shall, in the territory of a non-EU country in which the Member State of which he is a national is not represented, be entitled to protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any Member State, on the same conditions as the nationals of that State.”
(EU Member States which have printed this in their passports)
- its Communication on consular protection for EU citizens in third countries: State of play and way forward
- its Proposal for a Council Directive on consular protection for citizens of the Union abroad. The Commission adopted this proposal on 14 December 2011, which is still being discussed at the European Parliament and at the Council.