Brussels, 27/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 July, the European Commission reminded Europeans holidaying outside the EU (one out of every six Europeans is planning to do so, according to a Eurobarometer survey dated late May 2011) of their rights, issuing a press release in which it once again stresses that under the Treaties, Europeans can request the assistance of the embassy or consulate of any other member state if their own country of origin has no local representation. This right applies to all kinds of difficulty, such as “theft of a passport, an accident or serious illness” or an even more serious situation, such as situations of conflict, the Commission stresses.
European citizens “have the right to protection under the conditions as nationals of that member state's embassy they are turning to”, continues the competent commissioner, Viviane Reding. She goes on to stress that all new passports issued in the EU must now indicate information on consular protection (20 member states have already begun to do this, according to the Commission) and give the address of the EU internet site which provides details on places to turn to for assistance during holidays outside the EU (http://www.consularprotection.eu .).
On 23 March this year, the commissioner presented a global strategy on consular protection to guarantee the citizens their basic rights in all consulates or embassies and to bring the practices of the 27 in this area closer together. Reding listed the rights which citizens can claim, such as the right to be evacuated under the same conditions as nationals of the embassy country, and announced that legislative proposals in this area would be announced by the end of the year, aiming to improve legal security “as regards the scale of consular protection and related conditions and procedures”, on making improved use of resources, particularly in the event of crisis, and on the implementation of coordination and cooperation measures “vital to facilitate the consular protection of the citizens of the Union who are not represented”. These measures will also look at the issue of financial compensation for this protection in crisis situations. (S.P./transl.fl)