Book V Consular Matters, 20 Consular Access and Protection

20.1 As emphasized in Chapter 19, paragraph 19.6 above, protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, both individuals and bodies corporate, is the first and most important of consular functions. For many States there has in recent years been enormous growth in the demand for consular protection as businesses increasingly set up subsidiaries and branches overseas and individuals travel abroad as migrant workers, providers, and consumers of services, as students, as tourists, and as refugees. National laws vary greatly...