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DE: The Federal Administrative Court refers a case to the CJEU on omission of the personal interview in inadmissibility procedure based on secondary movement

27/09/2021

According to Aca-Europe the case referes to secondary movement of an alleged Eritrean applicant who was previously granted refugee status in Italy, being issued a residence permit and travel documents. 

"In 2011, he applied for recognition as a person entitled to political asylum in Germany. In 2013, the Italian Ministry of the Interior informed the Federal Police Headquarters of his readmission readiness. With decision of February 2013, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees ascertained that the plaintiff was not entitled to asylum because of his entry from a safe third country and ordered his deportation to Italy. The lawsuit was unsuccessful in the lower courts as far as the third country decision was concerned. The Higher Administrative Court has justified this with the fact that the plaintiff is not entitled to asylum, since he entered the country from a safe third country. The applicant had not invalidated the presumption of safety in the third country. In particular, in the case of deportation to Italy, there was no risk of treatment which would contradict Article 3 of the ECHR. The plaintiff's appeal is directed against this. According to the case law of the Senate, the inadmissibility of an asylum application governed in accordance with the prevailing legal basis in § 29, paragraph 1, No. 3 of the AsylG (Asylum Act), cannot constitute a legal basis for the contested decision because of the entry from a safe third country. The success of the appeal depends on whether the decision of inadmissibility can be reinterpreted as one pursuant to § 29, paragraph 1, No. 2 of the AsylG. It states that an asylum application is inadmissible if another EU member state has already granted international protection. In this case of a foreign refugee recognition, Article 25, paragraph 2, point a of Directive 2005/85/EC already authorised such a regulation. However, the Senate sees a need for clarification as to whether a decision of inadmissibility may also be taken if the living conditions for recognised refugees in the other member state do not meet the requirements of Articles 20 et seq. of Directive 2011/95/EU without violating Article 3 of the ECHR. The Senate also sees a need for clarification of the legal consequences of a hearing that was omitted in the administrative proceedings if, as was the case with the inadmissibility decision, it concerns a bound decision. The questions submitted are as follows: 1. Is a member state (here: Germany) prevented under the EU law from applying for international protection on the grounds of a refugee status in another member state (here: Italy) in the implementation of the authorisation in Article 33, paragraph 2, point a of Directive 2013/32/EU and/or of the previous provision in Article 25, paragraph 2, point a of Directive 2005/85/EC, if the arrangement of international protection, namely the living conditions for recognised refugees, in the other member state that has already granted international protection to the applicant (here: Italy), does not meet the requirements of Articles 20 et seq. of Directive 2011/95/EU without violating Article 4 of the GRC and/or Article 3 of the ECHR?

2. If question 1 is to be answered in the affirmative: Does this also apply if recognised refugees in the member state that recognises the refugee (here: Italy) a) are granted no benefits, or benefits only to a very limited extent compared with other member states, provided that they are not treated differently from nationals of that member state? b) are granted rights under Article 20 et. seq. Directive 2011/95/EU, but have de facto more difficult access to the associated services, or have such services of family or civil society networks that replace or supplement state services? 3. Does Article 14, paragraph 1, sentence 1 of Directive 2013/32/EU or the previous provision in Article 12, paragraph 1, sentence 1 of Directive 2005/85/EC oppose the application of a national provision, according to which an omitted personal hearing of the applicant for the rejection of the asylum application deemed as inadmissible by the asylum authority when implementing the authorisation in Article 33, paragraph 2, point a of Directive 2013/32/EU or the previous provision in Article 25, paragraph 2, point a of Directive 2005/85/EC, does not lead to the annulment of this decision for lack of hearing if the applicant has the opportunity to present all the circumstances, which speak against an inadmissibility decision, in the appeal procedure and if, even taking this submission into account, no other decision can be taken on the merits?

The CJEU judgement was pronounced in the case Milkiyas Addis (Eritrea) on 16 July 2020.

Following the CJEU judgement, the Federal Administrative Court reopened the case and adopted a judgement on 30 March 2021.

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MT: The Constitutional Court ruled on the violation of Article 3 and Article 13 of the ECHR in relation to the return of two applicants to Libya.

27/09/2021

The case concerned two applicants from Somalia, who arrived to Malta after being rescued from a boat crossing from Libya on 1 October 2004. On arrival, they were identified by the police. They were not given the opportunity to apply for international protection, and after ten days they were taken by the police to be returned to Lybia. They were not given the possibility to speak with a UNHCR representative in Malta despite their request. The police forced them to take the airplane back to Libya, where they claim that they were arrested by Libyan authorities and interrogated, beaten and tortured. In November 2005 they were left in the desert and spent 14 days there without food or water. The two applicants managed to return to Tripoli and on 23 June 2006 they once again reached Malta. In Malta, they claimed to the First Hall Civil Court that the facts they were subject to give rise to an infringement of Article 3 and Article 13 of the ECHR, Article 36 of the Constitution of Malta, Article 4 of the Fourth Protocol to the ECHR and requesting to receive appropriate remedies for the violation of their fundamental rights.

The First Hall Civil Court considered that the applicants were exposed to torture and inhumane or degrading treatment upon their return to Libya, and therefore there was a violation of Article 3 of the ECHR. The Ministry for Justice and the Interior and the Police Commissioner in his capacity as Principal Immigration Officer appealed this decision on grounds that the Court made an inaccurate assessment of the evidence regarding the treatment that the claimants received in Libya.

The Constitutional Court noted that, if the removal of a person gives rise to an infringement of Article 3 of the ECHR as there are substantial grounds to believe that that person would risk being subject to torture or inhumane and degrading treatment, there is an obligation not to remove the person. In this case, the Court considers that with regards to the first applicant, his testimony can be considered credible with regards to the treatment he received in Libya and it cannot be challenged at this stage as no other evidence, such as medical records, was previously requested by the appellant. This is not applicable to the other applicant as there is no testimony from his part and therefore no evidence to assess the treatment he received in Libya.

Considering the documents used to assess the situation in Libya at the time of removal, the Court ruled that the Maltese government ought to have known that the migrants were the risk of being tortured or treated inhumanely or degrading. The Court also ruled that there has been a violation of Article 3 of the ECHR and of Article 36 of the Constitution on the part of the two applicants, within the limits of the fact that it was proven that the first applicant was subject to torture and inhumane and degrading treatment, while this was not proved for the second applicant.  Additionally, the Court ruled that there has been a violation of Article 13 of the ECHR with regards to the first applicant.

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CZ: The Supreme Administrative Court ruled on an incorrect assessment of the risk of persecution of Christians in Kazakhstan.

24/09/2021

The applicants, Kazakh nationals, submitted a request for international protection on grounds of being targeted by the authorities because of their Christian faith and of the husband’s role as a representative of the church. The City Court rejected their application, holding that restrictions on the freedom to manifest religion imposed by Kazakh legislation do not in themselves constitute grounds for granting international protection and are not sufficient to be regarded as persecution or serious harm, as it was found in the present case. The applicants appealed the decision on grounds that the Court had failed to consider sufficient evidence and relevant reports and country of origin information documenting the persecution of Christians in Kazakhstan. Additionally, the Court did not address the fact that the applicants would be at risk of persecution upon return because they had lodged an application for international protection abroad.

The Supreme Administrative Court considered country of origin information on Kazakhstan and found that the evidence points to persecution against representatives of Christian churches. It therefore ruled that the City Court did not sufficiently assess the situation of the applicant and the impact on the whole family and their grounds for applying for international protection. The Supreme Administrative Court annulled the decision of the City Court and referred the case back for further assessment.

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CZ: The Supreme Administrative Court rejected an appeal against a Dublin transfer to Romania, holding that the evidence does not suggest systemic flaws in the asylum procedure and reception conditions.

23/09/2021

The applicant received a decision to transfer him to Romania under the Dublin Procedure and to hold him in detention for 30 days awaiting the transfer. He appealed against the decision on grounds that Romania is unable to ensure the proper conduct of the asylum procedure and that there are systematic flaws in the Romanian asylum system. The applicant drew attention to the capacity problems of the Romanian asylum system and to the deterioration of the situation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as to the inacceptable living conditions in the Romanian refugee camps and the lack of access to healthcare for asylum-seekers. The appeal was dismissed by the Regional Court of Prague and stated that the flaws in the asylum procedures and the poor living conditions in Romania were taken into account in the decision and did not amount to deficiencies of a systemic nature within the meaning of Article 3(2) of the Dublin III Regulation. The applicant appealed this decision.

The Supreme Administrative Court referred to previous case law in noting that the Common European Asylum System is based on the principle of mutual trust between Member States and that the transfer can only be stopped when there are serious grounds for believing that systemic deficiencies occur in the receiving State. It further noted that the Court was not aware of any evidence suggesting shortcomings in the Romanian asylum procedure or in the reception conditions. Additionally, the applicant did not put forward any evidence prior to the initial decision and the shortcomings indicated at the appeal stage cannot amount to torture or inhuman treatment, considering the situation of the applicant, nor constitute systemic deficiencies. The Court therefore ruled that the appeal was unfounded and upheld the decision of the Regional Court.

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BE: The Council for Alien Law Litigation confirmed the rejection of a subsequent application of a Congolese national holding that the city of Goma is not experiencing indiscriminate violence.

23/09/2021

The case concerned an appeal lodged by a Congolese national against a decision of inadmissibility of a subsequent application for international protection, taken by the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons. In the first request for international protection the applicant alleged a fear of persecution by the former rebel group Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (‘RCD’), on account of his links with Z. M., a dissident from that movement having fled to Europe. The applicant stated that he had been kidnapped by the RCD in 1999 and was imprisoned in the central prison of Goma from which he had finally managed to evade himself. The CGRS rejected the request stating that there was no indication that the applicant could not settle in Kinshasa without encountering any problems there and, second, that he did not adduce any evidence to establish that he was in fact being sought. In the second application, lodged on 10 September 2019, the applicant relied on the same grounds of fear as those put forward at the time of his first application and stated that he was still sought by the RCD and was prohibited from entering Congolese territory. In addition, he also claimed that he feared a return to the Congo, having learned that his father was murdered in 2008 by the Congolese Armed Forces because he had a dispensary in Eastern Congo where Rwandans had received treatment. He also referred to the security situation in the province of North Kivu and he stated that he sufferred from serious health problems and invoked the lack of appropriate medical care in the DRC.

On appeal, the Council for Alien Law Litigation confirmed the rejection of the subsequent application, holding that the applicant had indeed not presented any new element or new fact.

With regard to indiscriminate violence, the Council held that it is only in relation to the city of Goma that the Council examines, in this case, whether the conditions are met and noted that the situation prevailing in the city of Goma must be distinguished from that in several areas of North Kivu, which are experiencing severe chronic insecurity due to armed clashes involving numerous rebel groups and the Congolese Armed Forces. The Council observed that the acts of violence have decreased in number and are more the consequence of banditry rather than of the armed conflict in the region. It concluded that the city of Goma is not experiencing indiscriminate violence.

As regards the applicant's health problems, the Cuncil held that neither the CGRS nor the Council have the legal competence to examine an application for granting subsidiary protection based on purely medical grounds.

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BE: The Council for Alien Law Litigation decided that income from the guarantee for the elderly (GRAPA) cannot be taken into account when considering the financial means of the sponsor in family reunification procedures.

23/09/2021

The applicants are a mother and her two children, nationals of Madagascar. On 27 July 2020, they applied to the Belgian Embassy in Nairobi for a family reunification visa in order to join, the husband of the first applicant and, as regards the second and third applicant, their stepfather, of Belgian nationality. Their requests were rejected by decision of 1 December 2020 due to the insufficient means of subsistence of the sponsor. The applicants appealed arguing that the state had failed to take into account the income of the sponsor from the GRAPA (Income Guarantee for the Elderly).

The Council observed that the Council of State ruled on 16 February 2021 that the GRAPA can be considered as a form of financial social assistance. The income thus acquired cannot therefore be taken into account as a means of subsistence on the basis of article 40ter(2)(2) of the Law of 15 December 1980.

The Council further held that the argumentation of the applicants, which aims only to dispute the failure to take into account the income from the GRAPA, and which is based entirely on previous case-law of the Council, overturned by the Council of State, does not allow to depart from the reasoning followed by the Council of State, which validates the interpretation of the defendant.

Furthermore, the Council analysed the possible violation of Article 8 of the ECHR and concluded that in the applicants' case no such violation had taken place.

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IT: The Cassation Court explained the comparative assessment which must be carried out for the purposes of recognition of humanitarian protection by reference to the individual and objective situation of the applicant in the country of origin compared with the integration situation reached in the host country.

23/09/2021

The Court of Cassation decided on the appeal lodged by the Ministry of the Interior against a decision issued by the Court of Appeal of Milan by which the applicant, a Pakistani national, was granted a residence permit on humanitarian grounds. The Court of Appeal had held that the repatriation to the country of origin would result in the loss of ‘ethically and legally appreciable opportunities’ given the person's integration 'in the social and economic fabric of the host country' by following professional training and finding a fixed employment.

With regard to humanitarian protection, the Court of Cassation held that for the purposes of recognition of humanitarian protection, a comparative assessment of the individual and objective situation of the applicant must be carried out by reference to the country of origin, compared with the integration situation reached in the host country, without considering the level of integration in isolation. This comparative assessment must be carried out by attributing to the subjective and objective conditions of the applicant in the country of origin the greater the degree of integration which the applicant proves to have achieved in the Italian social fabric. The court noted that particularly serious human rights deprivation situations in the country of origin may establish an applicant’s right to humanitarian protection even in the absence of an appreciable degree of integration into Italy. The court pointed that social integration is not a sine qua non of humanitarian protection, but one of the possible facts constituting the right to such protection, to be assessed in comparison with the objective and subjective situation which the applicant would find when returning to his country of origin.

The court also held that where there is a high level of effective integration in Italy, which can be deduced from socially relevant indicators (fixed-term contracts, tenancy relationship, the presence of children attending kindergartens or schools, participation in associative activities), the objective and subjective conditions in the country of origin will be the least important.

Thus, if the return to the country of origin makes it probable that the conditions of private and/or family life will be significantly eroded in such a way as to infringe the right recognised by Article 8 of the ECHR, there is a serious humanitarian ground for the recognition of a residence permit.

In this case, the appeal brought by the Ministry of the Interior was rejected.

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AT: The Regional Administrative Court of Styria ruled on the collective expulsion of a Moroccan national from Austria to Slovenia and the subsequent refoulement to Croatia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

17/09/2021

The applicant, a national of Morocco, was found and arrested at the Austrian border with Slovenia on 28 September 2020 ina group with six other people. He used English and French words for  'asylum' to indicate his need for international protection but no procedure was initiated to examine his application. He was also undressed and searched. He was then returned to Slovenia and from there to Croatia and then to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The applicant complained about the lack of access to asylum procedures and the violation of his privacy due to the search to which he was subjected.

The Regional Administrative Court of Styria held that it assumes that the applicant, including other persons of the intercepted group, used the word ‘asylum’ several times and concluded that pushbacks were sometimes applied methodically in Austria. It also noted that the deportation by Slovenian police to Croatia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina without further questioning amounted to chain refoulement.

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FI: The Supreme Administrative Court ruled on the forced return and entry ban of an applicant in connection with criminal offences.

17/09/2021

The Finnish Immigration Service appealed against an administrative court decision to lift the entry ban concerning an Iraqi national that was considered by the FIS a dander to the public order and security, and for whom the FIS decided that voluntary return cannot be applied in light of the criminal offences committed by the applicant.

The Supreme Administrative Court held that a case-by-case analysis shall be conducted when considering whether a person constitutes a danger to public order and security and for this purpose the court must assess if the threat to the fundamental interests of society is real, immediate, and sufficiently serious. A person suspected for having committed a criminal offence or who was convicted for an act, can not be regarded as a danger to public security unless other circumstances are balanced, such as the nature and gravity of the act alongside with the time elapsed since the act. A decision must indicate explanations on the suspected crime and how it relates to the general assessment.

The FIS made the decision to impose an entry ban on the applicant when the later was suspected of aggravated assault committed in April 2018, based on the act that assault offences affect the life and health of others and concluded that the applicant endangered public order and security. The Administrative Court overturned the decision and lifted the entry ban based on the fact that the applicant was convicted for assault.

The Supreme administrative Court found that the FIS, in its initial decision did not specify the report on the suspected offence on which it based the assessment of the endangerment of the public order and security.

The Supreme Administrative Court mentioned that the assessment shall take into consideration the person’s behaviour in the future, thus the analysis of the risk is not limited to the time when the matter was decided by the FIS but new facts raised after the FIS and the administrative decisions have to be examined.  Such new facts may have a significant impact by eliminating or decisively reducing the risk to public order and security posed by a person or it can increase the risk, and consequently impacting the assessment made by the FIS.

In its appeal, the FIS presented a new report that the applicant he is suspected of extortion and stalking, as well as unlawful threat and assault. The Supreme Administrative Court took into account the new report as part of the overall assessment of the danger to public order and security, even though the new facts had come to light after the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service. The fact that the applicant was convicted for assault and is suspected of other offenses was considered by the Supreme Administrative Court as proofs that the applicant poses a danger and a threat to public security and order, annulled the administrative court decision and imposed an entry ban as provided by the initial FIS decision.

The Supreme Administrative Court annulled the Administrative Court's decision on the lifting of the entry ban and the imposition of a voluntary return period and imposed an entry ban imposed by the Finnish Immigration Service.

 

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The CJEU ruled that the relevant date for assessing whether the beneficiary of international protection is a minor in family reunification proceedings, is the date on which the parent lodged the asylum application, if necessary informally.

17/09/2021

The request for preliminary ruling was lodged by the Federal Administrative Court of Germany, in the context of a dispute between SE, an Afghan national, and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which refused to grant him refugee or subsidiary protection under family reunification with his son, who was a beneficiary of subsidiary protection. It concerned the recast Qualification Directive, Article 2 (j). The referring court asked the CJEU to determine the relevant date for assessing whether the beneficiary of international protection is a minor.

The CJEU rejected the suggestion of the German Government that the date on which the competent authority of the Member State concerned decides on the asylum application submitted by the parent should be retained as the relevant date, given that in this case national authorities and courts would not be encouraged to prioritise the requests presented by the parents of minors thus not taking into account the vulnerability of the minors and could jeopardize the right to family life. In this contect, the CJEU held that the relevant date for assessing whether the beneficiary of international protection is a “minor”, in order to rule on the asylum application lodged by his parent, is the date on which the parent submitted the request. The court held that such an interpretation is consistent with the purposes of the recast Qualification Directive and with the fundamental rights. The court further noted that, where a distinction is made, in the national system, between an informal request and the submission of a request, in the event that the asylum seeker informally submitted his application while his child was still a minor, such an applicant must, in principle, be considered as being at that date a member of the family of the beneficiary of subsidiary protection.

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