In order to improve the awareness of the EU rights among citizens, in particular that all EU citizens can request assistance from another EU country's embassy or consulate in case your own country is not represented, the new EU passports includes information on consular protection. Also, there is the address of the EU's dedicated website providing details on where a EU citizen can find help during your holidays outside the EU.

20 European countries already includes information on the EU citizen right of consular protection from another EU country's embassy or consulate in case his/her own country is not represented, in their passports. It also includes the website where find all the information concerning this right. The rest of European countries will apply this measure soon. This right applies to everyday situations, like a passport being stolen, a serious accident or illness, as well as during crises – such as the recent events in Libya.

The EU Treaties guarantee all EU citizens the right to equal treatment regarding protection from the diplomatic and consular authorities of any Member State when they are travelling or living outside the EU and their own country is not represented. In almost all countries in the world, at least one EU state is not represented. Actually, only in the United States, China and Russia do all 27 EU countries have diplomatic representation. Crises in Libya, Egypt and Yemen have highlighted the importance of consular support for stranded foreign nationals. For example, there were around 6,000 EU citizens in Libya when the crisis erupted, but only eight Member States had representations there.

This is the reason why the European Commission will also make legal proposals before the end of 2011 to improve legal certainty regarding the scope, conditions and procedures related to consular protection and optimise the use of resources, including in times of crisis, and establish the coordination and cooperation measures necessary to facilitate day-to-day consular protection for unrepresented EU citizens and address the issue of financial compensation of consular protection in crisis situations.