CYIL vol. 12 (2021)

CYIL 12 (2021) The Influence of EU Law in ECtHR’s Case-law on Family Migration The Influence of EU Law in ECtHR’s Case-law on Family Migration 1 Jennie Edlund, Václav Stehlík Abstract : This paper analyzes how the ECHR and EU law are treating the right to family life. Third-Country Nationals’ family members to EU citizens are provided with greater protection under EU law compared to Third-Country Nationals protected under the ECHR. The study examines whether and how the influence of EU law can improve the ECtHR’s inconsistent case-law. It points out some of the problematic developments in the ECtHR’s case-law on Article 8 and examines the CJEU approach to the right to family life. Resumé: Tato studie analyzuje, jak Evropská úmluva o lidských právech (EÚLP) a právo EU upravuje právo na rodinný život. Státním příslušníkům třetích zemí, kteří jsou občané EU, poskytuje právo EU větší ochranou ve srovnání se státními příslušníky třetích zemí podle EÚLP. Studie zkoumá, zda a jaký je vliv právo EU na zlepšení nekonzistentní judi- katury Evropského soudu pro lidská práva (ESLP). Upozorňuje přitom na problematický vývoj v judikatuře ESLP ve vztahu k článku 8 a zkoumá přístup Soudního dvora Evropské unie k právu na rodinný život. Key words: Article 8 of the ECHR, Family reunification, Human Rights, Immigration, European Court of Human Rights, Court of Justice of the European Union About the Authors: Jennie Edlund, LL.M., is Ph.D. candidate, Faculty of Law, Palacky University Olomouc. (jennie.m.edlund@gmail.com). Václav Stehlík, LL.M., Ph.D. is assoc. prof., Faculty of Law, Palacky University Olomouc. (vaclav.stehlik@upol.cz). 1. Introduction As long as refugees and migrants settle in European states, the human right to family life will continue to play a crucial role for national and supranational judicial examination in cases concerning family migration. Family decisions about where to live and when and whether to reunite are often dictated by migration status and migration control. 2 There is a big contrast between how the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and European Union (EU) law are treating family migration. Third-Country Nationals’ (TCNs’) family members to EU citizens are provided with greater protection under EU law compared to TCNs protected under the ECHR. This paper points out some of the problematic developments in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or Court) on family migration and examines the approach of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to family migration. The paper explores whether and how the influence of EU law can improve the ECtHR’s inconsistent case-law. 1 The paper was prepared under the research project GA17-24822S and IGA_PF_2020_008. A previous version was published as a pre-print online at: https://www.worldresearchlibrary.org/proceeding.php?pid=3995. 2 Costello, Cathryn (2016) The Human Rights of Migrants and Refugees in European Law , Oxford Studies in European Law, Oxford University Press, p. 103.

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