Report on the Application of Directive 2003/86/ec on the Right to Family Reunification

On 22 September 2003 the Council adopted Directive 2003/86/EC setting out common rules on the exercise of the right to family reunification by third-country nationals residing lawfully in Member States (hereinafter «the Directive»). It applies to all Member States except IE, DK and the UK.

This report meets the Commission’s obligation under Article 19 of the Directive and follows the Communication on «A Common Immigration Policy for Europe» of 17 June 2008, where the Commission announced to assess the implementation. It summarises Member States’ transposition of the Directive, identifies possible problems and gives recommendations on proper application.

The report is based on two Commission studies on the implementation of the Directive and on information from other studies. In accordance with Article 3(3) of the Directive, it does not deal with the situation of third-country nationals who are members of the family of a Union citizen.

Source : http://eur-lex.europa.eu

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Report on the Application of Directive 2003/86/ec on the Right to Family Reunification