LA DIMENSIONE ESTERNA DELLA CITTADINANZA EUROPEA: TUTELA CONSOLARE E PROTEZIONE DIPLOMATICA NELL'AMBITO DELL'UNIONE EUROPEA

Article 23 TFEU provides for the right of EU citizens to diplomatic and consular protection by Member States other than the State of nationality in the territory of a third country. After an overview on the evolution of legal sources, the present paper focuses on some issues concerning the scope and the effectiveness of Article 23 TFEU, with special emphasis on the consular assistance. In particular, the study addresses the question of whether the EU citizen’s right to assistance abroad is limited to an application of the principle of non-discrimination based on nationality. Moreover, attention is paid to the eventual and future diplomatic protection established by Article 23 TFEU. As final remarks, the paper analyses the potential impact, on consular and diplomatic practice, of the new institutional settings in the domain of EU external representation and the growing empowerment of the Union in international relations after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.