1. Consular Crisis Management Division
INTCEN.4
Nicola Delcroix
Head of Division

2. The contribution of Consular On-Line (CoOL)
Travel advice today
The contribution of Consular On-Line (CoOL)

3. Outline The Consular On-Line (CoOL) platform CoOL travel advice
Examples
Travel advice about third countries
Travel advice by EU Member States
EU Member States travel advice websites
Challenges for CoOL travel advice

4. 1. The Consular On-Line (CoOL) platform
Online collaborative platform created at EU Member State (MS) request to share information on consular affairs, focusing on consular crisis situations
Two main parts:
Key information for consular coordination between EU MS
Threads for discussion
Based on data provided by EU MS Ministries of Foreign Affairs
CoOL is an online collaborative platform created at EU MS request to share information between EU MS on consular affairs, and especially during consular crisis situations. In this sense, it is a tool to enhance both crisis preparedness and crisis response. It has two main features:
First, key specific information necessary for making cooperation possible between EU MS. This includes:
EU MS and EUD contacts in each third country
EU MS contacts at capitals (consular crisis managers)
Collaborative tables on estimated numbers of EU citizens present in each third country
Joint EU Consular Crisis Preparedness Frameworks of each third country
Travel advice for each third country
Second, information coming from threads (chats). Here CoOL serves as a discussion forum for crisis preparedness and response.
Any EU MS or the INTCEN.4 can open a thread on any issue
The others can comment on it
CoOL is based on data provided by MS MoFAs (disclaimer), as consular protection remains a EU MS competence
INTCEN.4 as CoOL's manager and supporter

5. 2. CoOL travel advice
Snapshot of what do the ensemble of EU MS think about the risks of travelling to a third country at a particular time
The travel advice area
Interactive travel advice world map
Advice about third countries
Advice by EU MS
Links to EU MS own travel advice websites
Automatic ing system
CoOL travel advice categorisation in nine different status
CoOL has a specific area devoted to Travel Advice, which is part of the key information for EU MS coordination.
It aims to provide a snapshot of what do the ensemble of EU MS think about the risks of travelling to a third country at a particular time.
The travel advice area includes two main features:
First, an interactive world map with travel advice that allows to…
See the travel advice status that EU MS give to a particular third country
See the travel advice status of a particular EU MS about all third countries
Second, links to travel advice homepages of MS MOFAs
It must be noted that CoOL automatically sends a message to MS when one of them updates its travel advice status in CoOL, stimulating the rest to review their own. CoOL has therefore an interactive spirit and promotes travel advice information exchange also in a passive fashion.
And finally, in order to post travel advice in CoOL, MS have to follow a common categorisation in 9 different travel advice status (next slide).

6. 2. CoOL travel advice Leave immediately Avoid travel completely
Avoid all travel to certain areas
Avoid non-essential travel
Avoid non-essential travel to certain areas
Exercise extreme caution
Some areas may be dangerous
Caution
No specific travel advice
Snapshot of what the ensemble of MS think about a country at a given time
The travel advice area
Interactive world map
By [MS]
About [third country]
Links to MS own travel advice websites
Automatic messaging system
CoOL's travel advice categorisation
These 9 status are the following.
Leave immediately
Avoid travel completely
Avoid all travel to certain areas
Avoid non-essential travel
Avoid non-essential travel to certain areas
Exercise extreme caution
Some areas may be dangerous
Caution
No specific travel advice
It must be noted that, in CoOL, EU MS can only post one of these status, not copy-paste their entire travel advice from their national websites.

7. 3.1 Example: travel advice about third countries
Venezuela
This is the interactive world map that appears when you click on the travel advice tab of CoOL's main menu. Here you can access information on travel advice issued by EU MS about travelling to a given a third country.
When you select a country, let's say, Venezuela…

8. 3.1 Example: travel advice about third countries
Travel advice using CoOL categories
Many EU MS have updated their travel advice for Venezuela
… Beneath the map appears a list with the different travel advice updates on Venezuela done by EU MS, as well as information on who and when did the last update.
etc.

9. 3.1 Example: travel advice about third countries
South Korea
If we go back to the world map and select another third country that has appeared a lot recently in the media, South Korea…

10. 3.1 Example: travel advice about third countries
It would appear that some EU MS have not updated travel advice for South Korea
Is it true?
… Then in the travel advice list per EU MS we will see that not many EU MS have updated their travel advice in CoOL. Why this happens? (next slide)

11. 3.1 Example: travel advice about third countries
Why is CoOL travel advice status not always updated?
EU MS update their national websites, but not CoOL
No need of updating. E.g: Somalia
CoOL's approach
The lack of updating is mainly due to two reasons:
First, MS are updating their national travel advice sites but not CoOL
Second, there is no update to make. For instance, it seems reasonable to argue that the travel advice for Somalia has not changed much between 2009 and 2017.
This is why CoOL features the following notice above the world map of the travel advice section: "travel advice are considered valid until further notification". This serves as a middle solution.

12. 3.2 Example: travel advice by EU Member States
How Lithuania "sees the world" from CoOL travel advice
As said, the same travel advice section has an option to see all the travel advice status issued in CoOL by a particular EU MS.
If we take Lithuania as an example, then we will see the world map filled with colours depending on which travel advice status does the selected EU MS give to third countries. This is how Lithuania "sees" the world.
The countries in white mean that the EU MS in question has not issued travel advice in CoOL for them.

13. 3.2 Example: travel advice by EU Member States
List of travel advice updates issued by Lithuania in CoOL
And beneath the world map for the Lithuanian travel advice, we have access to the list of countries for which Lithuania has issued travel advice status in CoOL, together with the dates and who issued it.
etc.

14. 3.2 Example: travel advice by EU Member States
How Poland "sees the world" from CoOL travel advice
This is the same map in CoOL travel advice, however this time shows the countries for which Poland has issued travel advice status in CoOL.
As we can see, Poland has a vision of the world different from that of Lithuania (more countries in red: more danger)

15. 3.3 Example: Links to EU MS own travel advice websites
This is the list of links to the EU MS own travel advice websites, which as said before, is the second area of travel advice in CoOL.
CoOL travel advice has a page with the links to EU MS own travel advice websites

16. 3.3 Example: Links to EU MS own travel advice websites
Clicking on the link to Cyprus' national website, we see that it has organised its travel advice in a list by last update date
Let's see, using the list in CoOL, a couple of examples of EU MS travel advice issued through their own national websites.
Clicking on the link to Cyprus' national website, we see that this EU MS has organized its travel advice in a list by date of last update

17. 3.3 Example: Links to EU MS own travel advice websites
Cyprus also includes a description and contact details for each country
E.g.: Algeria
CoOL does not include travel advice descriptions, only status
Cyprus national website also includes a description and contact details for each country update. E.g. shown: Algeria
Unlike many EU MS travel advice websites, CoOL does not include a description for each travel advice status

18. Some further examples of EU MS with many citizens abroad
3.3 Example: Links to EU MS own travel advice websites
Some further examples of EU MS with many citizens abroad
Some further examples of EU MS travel advice website available through CoOL. In this case, we see examples of national websites from EU MS with many citizens abroad
The work carried out by EU MS with many citizens abroad can be a source inspiration for other EU MS.

19. 4. Challenges for CoOL travel advice
Two main challenges, which however can be addressed:
Regularity: requires constant update by EU MS
Consistency of messages: information posted in CoOL travel advice by EU MS should correspond with that of their national websites
To be truly useful, travel advice in CoOL needs two things:
First, regularity: information should be constantly updated by EU MS
Second, consistency of messages: information posted in CoOL travel advice by EU MS should correspond with that of their national websites

20. Conclusions: CoOL travel advice
Contributes to information sharing, particularly on risk-prone countries
Provides a global overview
Sharing of good practices between EU MS
Consular protection including travel advice is EU MS responsibility; CoOL supports EU MS in their task
Contribute to the coordination of EU MS through information sharing, particularly in risk-prone countries
CoOL may inspire MS to harmonise their travel advice, due to the fact that it provides a global overview of the travel advice of EU MS
Sharing of good practices between EU MS
As a reminder, consular protection is under EU MS responsibility, CoOL travel advice supports EU MS in this task