EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

 Article 23

(ex Article 20 TEC)

Every citizen of the Union shall, in the territory of a third 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. Member States shall adopt the necessary provisions and start the international negotiations required to secure this protection.

The Council, acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure and after consulting the European Parliament, may adopt directives establishing the coordination and cooperation measures necessary to facilitate such protection.

Article 20

(ex Article 17 TEC)

1. Citizenship of the Union is hereby established. Every person holding the nationality of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to and not replace national citizenship.

2. Citizens of the Union shall enjoy the rights and be subject to the duties provided for in the Treaties. They shall have, inter alia:

(a) the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States;

(b) the right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament and in municipal elections in their Member State of residence, under the same conditions as nationals of that State;

(c) the right to enjoy, in the territory of a third country in which the Member State of which they are nationals is not represented, the protection of the diplomatic and consular authorities of any Member State on the same conditions as the nationals of that State;

(d) the right to petition the European Parliament, to apply to the European Ombudsman, and to address the institutions and advisory bodies of the Union in any of the Treaty languages and to obtain a reply in the same language.

These rights shall be exercised in accordance with the conditions and limits defined by the Treaties and by the measures adopted thereunder.

Article 2 - General principle
‘1. Member States' embassies or consulates shall provide consular protection to unrepresented citizens on the same conditions as to their own nationals.
2. Member States may decide that this Directive shall apply to the consular protection provided by honorary consuls in compliance with Article 23 TFEU. Member States shall ensure that unrepresented citizens are duly informed about such decisions and the extent to which honorary consuls are competent to provide protection in a given case.
Article 3 - Consular protection by the Member State of nationality
‘The Member State of nationality of an unrepresented citizen may request the Member State from whom the unrepresented citizen seeks or receives consular protection to redirect the unrepresented citizen's application or case to his/her own Member State of nationality in order for that Member State of nationality to provide consular protection in accordance with its national law or practice. The requested Member State shall relinquish the case as soon as the Member State of nationality confirms that it is providing consular protection to the unrepresented citizen.
Article 4 - Unrepresented citizens in third countries
‘For the purposes of this Directive, ‘unrepresented citizen’ shall mean every citizen holding the nationality of a Member State which is not represented in a third country as set out in Article 6.
Article 5 - Family members of unrepresented citizens in third countries
‘Consular protection shall be provided to family members, who are not themselves citizens of the Union, accompanying unrepresented citizens in a third country, to the same extent and on the same conditions as it would be provided to the family members of the citizens of the assisting Member State, who are not themselves citizens of the Union, in accordance with its national law or practice.
Article 6 - Absence of representation
‘For the purposes of this Directive, a Member State is not represented in a third country if it has no embassy or consulate established there on a permanent basis, or if it has no embassy, consulate or honorary consul there which is effectively in a position to provide consular protection in a given case.‘