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Lithuania / Vilnius Regional Administrative Court / eI-5007-484/2016

N. S. v Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior
Policy area
Justice, freedom and security
Deciding body type
National Court/Tribunal
Deciding body
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court
Type
Decision
Decision date
15/03/2016

Carta drepturilor fundamentale a Uniunii Europene

Title II: Freedoms

Article 7 - Respect for private and family life

VIEW FULL CASE
  • Lithuania / Vilnius Regional Administrative Court / eI-5007-484/2016

    Key facts of the case:

    The applicant submitted a request to the Migration Department asking to change a temporary residence permit on the ground of family reunification, since she got married to a Lithuanian citizen; initially the applicant received a temporary residence permit for one year on the ground of legal business activities in Lithuania (this ground was annulled as of 1 November 2014). The respondent rejected the applicant’s request claiming that her marriage was fictitious; It also took into consideration the fact, that the other Schengen country has entered an alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing the entry of the applicant into the Schengen Area until 30 April 2018. The applicant challenged the decision of the Migration Department before Vilnius Regional Administrative Court (Vilniaus apygardos administracinis teismas) stating that the respondent examined all the relevant circumstances insufficiently and made unfounded conclusion regarding the fictitious marriage. 

    Outcome of the case:

    The Court decided that the conclusion of the Migration Department that the marriage of the applicant and J.G. was fictious was done in haste, and the respondent had not fully examined all the circumstances. Regarding the alert in the SIS, the Court concluded that a prohibition to entry Schengen area is not absolute and may be waived, if this would lead inter alia to a violation of international obligations, in the present case – the right to a family life guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

    The Court quashed the decision of the Migration Department and obliged the respondent to reconsider the request of the applicant regarding the change of temporary residence permit on the ground of family reunification. The Court decided that prohibition to entry Schengen area is not absolute and may be waived, if this would lead inter alia to a violation of international obligations, in present case – the right to a family life guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

  • Paragraphs referring to EU Charter

    The Court of Justice of the European Union (hereinafter - the CJEU) has more than stressed that respect for family life, as laid down in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter - ECHR), is a fundamental principle, which must be respected and ensured. Article 7 of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights (hereinafter - the Charter) enshrines the right to respect for family life, and Article 52 provides for that the meaning and scope of the rights determined by the Charter, which correspond to the rights guaranteed by the ECHR, shall be the same as those laid down by the said Convention. The Schengen Borders Code respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognized by the Charter, therefore the provisions of the Code must be interpreted in such a way as not to infringe the provisions of the Charter. Thus, solving the issue of the residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania, when there is an alert in the Second Generation Schengen Information System to refuse entry of the alien, it is necessary to assess if a refusal to issue permit violates the provisions of the ECHR, i. e. the international obligation of the Republic of Lithuania to guarantee the rights and freedoms defined by the ECHR. 

  • Paragraphs referring to EU Charter (original language)

    Europos Sąjungos Teisingumo Teismas (toliau – ESTT) yra ne kartą pabrėžęs, jog pagarba šeimos gyvenimui, kaip tai numatyta Europos žmogaus teisių ir pagrindinių laisvių apsaugos konvencijos (toliau – EŽTK) 8 straipsnyje, yra fundamentalus principas, kuris turi būti gerbiamas ir užtikrinamas. Europos Sąjungos pagrindinių teisių chartijos (toliau – Chartija) 7 str. įtvirtina teisę į šeimos gyvenimo gerbimą, o 52 straipsnis nustato, kad Chartijoje nurodytų teisių, atitinkančių EŽTK garantuojamas teises, esmė ir taikymo sritis yra tokia, kaip nustatyta joje. Pagal Šengeno sienų kodeksą, jame yra gerbiamos pagrindinės teisės ir laikomasi principų, pripažintų Chartijoje, todėl kodekso nuostatos turi būti aiškinamos taip, kad nepažeistų Chartijos nuostatų. Vadinasi, sprendžiant dėl leidimo gyventi Lietuvos Respublikoje išdavimo, kai dėl užsieniečio į centrinę antrosios kartos Šengeno informacinę sistemą yra įtrauktas perspėjimas neįsileisti, būtina įvertinti, ar atsisakymas išduoti leidimą nepažeis EŽTK nuostatų, t. y. Lietuvos Respublikos tarptautinio įsipareigojimo garantuoti joje apibrėžtas teises bei laisves.