As of May 1, citizens of European Union countries who travel or live outside of the EU will be able to ask for consular protection and assistance from any EU country's embassy or consulate wherever their country of origin does not maintain diplomatic presence.

“Almost 7 million EU citizens travel through or live in countries outside of the EU where their own country has no embassies or consulates. Starting tomorrow, all EU citizens will have the right to be treated equally when they need assistance outside of the EU. The new regulation will strengthen citizens’ rights, and represents a strong expression of European solidarity,” the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vera Jourova, said on Monday.

The EU directive on consular protection which was passed in April 2015 and allows for any EU national to seek assistance wherever their country is not diplomatically represented is due to be included into member states’ legislation by May 1.

Besides assistance at times of crisis, EU citizens can also benefit from requesting consular protection in cases of serious illness, when being victim of a crime, when arrested, or in cases of the loss or theft of passport when abroad. Requests for the issue of emergency travel documents account for more than 60 percent of all cases of consular assistance to unrepresented citizens.

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