Source: https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/print/case-law/slovenia-constitutional-court-republic-slovenia14-january-2015-judgment-u-i-30913-98113
Timestamp: 2019-09-21 07:04:16
Document Index: 719029022

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art 17', 'Art 2', 'Art 8', 'Art 15', 'Art 53', 'Art 54', 'Art 56', 'Art 153', 'Art 3', 'Art 47', 'art-16', 'art-17', 'art-2', 'art-8', 'art-155', 'art-533', 'art-54', 'art-56', 'art-1532', 'art-34', 'art-474']

Home > Slovenia - Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia,14 January 2015, Judgment U-I-309/13, Up-981/13,
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Recital (2) [4]
European Union Law > EN - Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union [5] > Article 7 [6]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Recital (4) [7]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Recital (8) [8]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Recital (9) [9]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Recital (10) [10]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 4 [11] > 1. [12]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 4 [11] > 2. [13]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 4 [11] > 3. [14]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 5 [15]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 10 [16] > 1. [17]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 10 [16] > 2. [18]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 10 [16] > 3. [19]
European Union Law > EN - Family Reunification Directive, Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 [3] > Article 16 [20]
European Union Law > EN - Recast Qualification Directive, Directive 2011/95/EU of 13 December 2011 [21] > Recital (19) [22]
European Union Law > EN - Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union [5] > Article 52 [23]
European Union Law > EN - Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union [5] > Article 53 [24]
European Union Law > EN - Recast Qualification Directive, Directive 2011/95/EU of 13 December 2011 [21] > Article 23 [25]
The facts of the case [26] relate to a rejected family reunification application for a recognised Somalian refugee and her dependent minor sister on account that such a relationship was not covered by the exhaustive definition of family members in Slovenian domestic legislation [27] (Article 16b of the International Protection Act). The minor sister was left in Ethiopia with no adult relative who could take care of her.
The applicant advanced that the Ministry of Interior’s decision had not taken into account Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights [28], Article 10 of the Family Reunification Directive [29] as well as the best interests of the child in the Convention on the Rights of the Child [30]. Moreover, questioning the constitutionality of Article 16b, the applicant advanced that said provision was in fact discriminatory in light of domestic legislation [31] relating to “foreigners” (not including international protection claimants) that broadened the definition of family members to other relatives in exceptional cases.
Referring to family protection within the Slovenian Constitution [32], as well as jurisprudence from the ECtHR (Ezzouhdi v. France [33]) and the dependency clause in the Family Reunification Directive, the Constitutional Court advanced that the International Protection Act restricts the right to family reunification to only those specified in Article 16b and thus does not allow for an individual examination of specific circumstances, evidencing, for example, genuine family ties and/or dependency. Thus, the Court highlights that even though the extension of the definition of family members in the Family Reunification Directive is not obligatory; to not have such an option in domestic legislation violates international instruments, such as Article 8 of the ECHR. In this manner the Court advances that Article 16b disproportionately interferes with the right to respect for family life and cannot be balanced against its pursued objective, notably public security.
The impact of these diverging interpretations is evidenced in a comparative assessment of family reunification authored by ECRE and Red Cross EU Office. Disrupted Flight: The realities of separated refugees’ families in the EU. [34]
Slovenia - u-i-309-13-up-981-132.pdf [35]
Slovenia - International Protection Act (ZMZ) Art (16)b [36]
Slovenia - International protection Act (ZMZ) Art 17 [37]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 2 [38]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 8 [39]
Slovenia - Constitution 14(2) [40]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 15(5) [41]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 53(3) [42]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 54 [43]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 56 [44]
Slovenia - Constitution Art 153(2) [45]
Slovenia - Aliens Act Art 3(4) [46]
Slovenia - Aliens Act Art 47(4) [47]
[3] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305
[4] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_11
[5] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/453
[6] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/453#toc_42
[7] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_13
[8] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_17
[9] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_18
[10] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_19
[11] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_52
[12] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_53
[13] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_60
[14] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_63
[15] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_70
[16] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_102
[17] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_103
[18] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_104
[19] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_105
[20] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/1305#toc_135
[21] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/4038
[22] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/4038#toc_29
[23] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/453#toc_221
[24] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/453#toc_230
[25] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/node/4038#toc_257
[26] http://ecre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=3ac54b02c7&amp;e=be2604b51c
[27] http://ecre.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=a84fca4e7e&amp;e=be2604b51c
[28] http://ecre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=2522a5695e&amp;e=be2604b51c
[29] http://ecre.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=0d6614f1d9&amp;e=be2604b51c
[30] http://ecre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=6978842808&amp;e=be2604b51c
[31] http://ecre.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=62fae707bf&amp;e=be2604b51c
[32] http://ecre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=6f32d07337&amp;e=be2604b51c
[33] http://ecre.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e3ebd297b1510becc6d6d690&amp;id=f3b998603b&amp;e=be2604b51c
[34] http://www.redcross.eu/en/upload/documents/pdf/2014/Asylum_Migration/RCEU%20ECRE%20-%20Family_Reunification%20Report%20Final_HR.pdf
[35] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/sites/default/files/aldfiles/Slovenia%20-%20u-i-309-13-up-981-132.pdf
[36] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-international-protection-act-zmz-art-16b
[37] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-international-protection-act-zmz-art-17
[38] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-2
[39] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-8
[40] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-142
[41] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-155
[42] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-533
[43] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-54
[44] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-56
[45] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-constitution-art-1532
[46] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-aliens-act-art-34
[47] https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/national-and-other-legislation/slovenia-aliens-act-art-474