Public opinion on European Union consular protection and assistance overseas

This report presents findings from the survey experiment Public Opinion on EU Consular Protection and Assistance Overseas, conducted in Spain in June 2025. The study examines citizens’ awareness, legitimacy perceptions, and governance preferences regarding the EU’s evolving role in consular protection, particularly in light of the 2023 proposal to reform Directive 2015/637. Based on a representative survey of 1,200 respondents, we show citizens’ information conditions (travel behavior and rights literacy), the visibility of political versus operational actors, legitimacy indicators (trust, responsibility attribution, confidence), and baseline preferences for how consular protection should be governed. Overall, our findings show that respondents view consular protection positively but form opinions under limited practical experience and uneven knowledge of their rights. Political EU institutions are widely recognized, whereas operational arms (e.g., EU Delegations, EEAS) are less visible. In addition, legitimacy indicators show that citizens expect national authorities to remain central while acknowledging a substantial coordinating role for the EU. These findings suggest that the proposed Directive enjoys a permissive legitimacy environment in Spain. Yet, the Spanish case offers an informative baseline as citizens are more supportive of the EU taking a supporting role rather than a replacing role (taking over national consular responsibilities entirely).