The second seminar on Diplomatic and Consular Protection of EU Citizens in Third Countries – Exchange of Experience and Best Practices organised by the Slovenian Presidency in cooperation with the European Commission took place on 27 June 2008.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrej Šter, who opened the seminar, underlined that different forms of cooperation in the field of the consular protection of nationals of EU Member States in third countries, particularly in consular crisis situations, were of exceptional importance, as in this way the EU Member States may improve the quality of consular protection provided to their citizens facing crisis situations.
Professor Mihael Kline, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Social Sciences and expert in the field of communications, also participated in the seminar; he explained the importance of communication in crisis situations, which was also the topic of the second round table.
The seminar was conducted within the framework of three round tables, where the participants - delegates of the EU Member States of the Council Working Group on Consular Affairs (WG COCON) and representatives of diplomatic and consular missions of the EU Member States and some Maghreb States – exchanged experience and information in the field of the protection of citizens in the countries where they serve (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia), discussed the role of the mass media in consular crisis situations and the possibility of improving the protection of nationals of the EU Member States travelling to a this geographical area, and expressed their expectations regarding the EU's role in ensuring such protection.
The seminar was carried out within the framework of cooperation between the EU Member States in the field of consular protection. Such meetings provide an opportunity for the Member States to exchange experience and seek new ways of European consular cooperation.
