A citizen of the Union enjoys the right to consular protection by the embassies or consulates of other EU Member States in a third country in which the Member State of which he or she is a national is not represented. Citizens of the Union also have the right to address a petition to the European Parliament and may, through an ombudsman designated by the EP, file complaints concerning the work of EU institutions.

!n the fields of justice and home affairs, the Member States above all work together to combat organized crime, which operates across frontiers on a massive scale and poses an increasingly serious threat to Europe’s internal security. Drug dealers and traffickers in persons cannot be permitted to become the winners in a united Europe. Another important area is cooperation to stem the tide of illegal immigration through common asylum provisions and high standards for checks at the EU’s external borders. Only in this manner can the goals of complete elimination of border ecks between the Member States and preservation °f internal security in the European Union be attained.

n accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the ommunity only then takes action in areas not falling within its exclusive competence if the goals of necessary measures cannot be sufficiently achieved by action taken at the level of the Member States and therefore due to their scope or their effect can be better achieved by action taken at the Community level. There is thus a sensible balance between the European and national levels of action.