Due to a Council Decision of 1995 EU nationals in trouble abroad can get help from the diplomatic offices of any other EU country, if theirs has no local representation – a fact known by less than a third of EU citizens. They can expect to be treated as a national of that country. This is important as only three countries outside the EU host representations from all 25 EU members: Russia, China and the US.However, a recent survey showed that only very few travellers know about their right to protection.More information here.