Case C-63/23, Sagrario: Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 12 September 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Juzgado Contencioso-Administrativo de Barcelona – Spain) – Sagrario, Joaquín, Prudencio v Subdelegación del Gobierno en Barcelona (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Area of freedom, security and justice – Immigration policy – Right to family reunification – Directive 2003/86/EC – Article 16(3) – Refusal to renew the residence permit of the sponsor – Consequences – Refusal to renew the residence permit of the sponsor’s family members – Reason beyond their control – Presence of minor children – Article 15(3) – Conditions for granting an autonomous residence permit – Concept of particularly difficult circumstances – Scope – Article 17 – Case-by-case examination – Right to be heard)
Date: 2024-09-12
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: area of freedom, security and justice, family, family migration, family reunification, residence permit, right of asylum, rights of the defence, young person








C_202406226EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6226


28.10.2024






Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 12 September 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Juzgado Contencioso-Administrativo de Barcelona – Spain) – Sagrario, Joaquín, Prudencio v Subdelegación del Gobierno en Barcelona


(Case C-63/23,
                (1)
Sagrario)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Area of freedom, security and justice - Immigration policy - Right to family reunification - Directive 2003/86/EC - Article 16(3) - Refusal to renew the residence permit of the sponsor - Consequences - Refusal to renew the residence permit of the sponsor’s family members - Reason beyond their control - Presence of minor children - Article 15(3) - Conditions for granting an autonomous residence permit - Concept of ‘particularly difficult circumstances’ - Scope - Article 17 - Case-by-case examination - Right to be heard)
(C/2024/6226)
Language of the case: Spanish

Referring court

Juzgado Contencioso-Administrativo de Barcelona

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Sagrario, Joaquín, Prudencio

Defendant: Subdelegación del Gobierno en Barcelona

Operative part of the judgment







1.


The second sentence of Article 15(3) of Council Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 on the right to family reunification,
must be interpreted as not precluding legislation of a Member State which does not provide that the competent national authority is required to issue, on account of the existence of ‘particularly difficult circumstances’, within the meaning of that provision, an autonomous residence permit to a sponsor’s family members where those family members have lost their residence permit for reasons beyond their control or where minor children are part of that family.










2.


Article 17 of Directive 2003/86
must be interpreted as precluding legislation of a Member State which permits the competent national authority to adopt a decision refusing to renew a residence permit issued to a sponsor’s family members, without first carrying out an individual assessment of their situation or hearing them. Where that decision concerns a minor child, it is incumbent on the Member States to take all appropriate measures to offer that child a genuine and effective opportunity of being heard, in accordance with his or her age or degree of maturity.






(1)  
            OJ C 173, 15.5.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6226/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)