Brussels, 06/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 4 February, MEPs called on the European Union to ensure greater protection for its citizens, especially when crises affecting them occur abroad, as was the case during the attacks in Bombay where over 170 people were killed, in November 2008. “The attacks in Bombay showed how necessary it is to have better coordination of consular services”, said Ioannis Varvitsiotis (EPP-ED, Greece) during a debate at the European Parliament. “Concrete proof must be given of the advantages gained from European citizenship (…). We await with interest binding proposals”, the MEP said. After the fashion of Mr Varvitsiotis, all MEPs took an unanimous stance in favour of broader application of Article 20 of the EC Treaty that authorises EU citizens to call for diplomatic and consular protection from the authorities of any other member state present on the spot, under the same conditions as those applied by that state to its own citizens. “Every citizen has the right to consular protection”, said Martine Roure (PES, France), calling on member states to “put an end to the discrimination” affecting people who do not know to which consulate they may apply when they have problems. She also spoke of the “unacceptable lack” of diplomatic protection for MEPs, calling for the signature of ad hoc agreements with third countries. Ignasi Guardans Cambó (ALDE, Spain), who was in Bombay during the attacks, regretted that Article 20 had remained a “dead letter” and that “quite simply European citizenship does not exist”. Member states also showed proof of “competition” and “not of cooperation” in Bombay, added Sajjad Karim (EPP-ED, UK), who was trapped in the Hotel Taj Mahal held by terrorists. European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Günter Verheugen admitted that, independently of the fact that 24 member states have ambassadors in New Delhi and that 20 have consulates in Bombay, “it was very difficult to ensure adequate protection of European citizens in Bombay”. In his view, what happened in Bombay shows that there is much to be improved. The commissioner stressed that the current treaty conferred no consular power upon the Commission. In this context, he said all the Commission could do was improve citizen information, suggesting that Article 20 be printed in all EU passports. “With the Lisbon Treaty, we shall have a clear legal base that will allow directives to be adopted to establish measures of coordination and cooperation to facilitate protection”, Mr Verheugen went on to say, intimating that the Commission may present legislative proposals in the near future. (B.C./transl.jl)