LONDON (Reuters) - European Union citizens living in Britain should have the right to vote in any referendum on a new role for the EU, the bloc’s top officials agreed on Thursday. Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti gestures as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels March 23, 2012. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir The European Commission said that such a right was not enshrined in the treaties because all EU citizens enjoy all rights, regardless of their nationality. However, the Commission believes that EU citizens should have a right to vote in a vote on any constitutional reform of the EU, especially if it entailed treaty change or the exit of one or more member states. EU affairs commissioner Olli Rehn presented the EU executive’s position paper to fellow commissioners in Brussels to seek their agreement. It is seen as laying the ground for a new treaty when the Commission does its work on the ‘permanent institutional framework’ in 2013. “We can confirm that the Commission’s opinion on the participation of EU citizens in a referendum is as follows: The European Treaty foresees no express provision for such participation, but provides for the right of EU citizens to vote in municipal elections held by the Union in member states,” the paper said. But the Commission said it would also be “appropriate” if EU citizens were consulted by their member state on any issue that was likely to impact on them. “Should such a referendum be called, it would be necessary to prepare EU citizens for it, and to provide them with access to appropriate information and assistance in exercising their right to vote,” the paper said. The paper made it clear that any such consultation should not affect the outcome of the referendum. But it would be up to national authorities to ensure a “meaningful” consultation for EU citizens. EU citizens account for some 40 percent of the population of the 27-nation bloc. “This is a major step forward,” said the liberal group of British MEPs, which won a concession to have the right to vote extended to EU nationals resident in the United Kingdom. Britain has argued for long that EU nationals should be given a vote on whether they want to retain the right to reside in Britain. “(The EU’s) citizens will have the right to vote and be counted in an EU referendum in the U.K. if that referendum happens before the U.K. leaves the EU,” Liberal MEP Nick Clegg said in a tweet. Britain’s government has also repeatedly insisted that EU nationals should have a vote on any vote on withdrawal, but its plans for a referendum are under fire from Europe’s leading power in Brussels. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country could find itself outside the European Union if Britain takes the step of leaving the bloc, has indicated that she wants to see EU citizenship extended to include Britons residing in the European Union. Britain has the largest population of EU citizens of all member states, but only some two million or so live there - the rest are scattered throughout the EU. But Britain is home to an estimated 10 million citizens from the European Union. The EU executive paper noted that British nationals would be able to exercise their European citizenship rights “only when they return to live in the U.K.” and would need to apply for a resident’s permit before they did so. It also said there was an internal market requirement that EU nationals wishing to reside in the EU should be free to do so, and that a “right of residence” had to be balanced with the requirements of the host state to which they were admitted. “It follows that EU citizens resident in an EU state may not be obliged to leave that state if the state decides to impose restrictions on their right of residence that would make their life more difficult and would breach the rights conferred on them by EU law,” the Commission paper said.