- Date
- April 1, 2004
Immigration and regulation of the legal status of third country nationals in the European Union was given particular emphasis at the Tampere Council in 1999. During 2003-2004, these issues gained increased attention from the EU lawmaking institutions in the light of the May 2004 deadline set in the Treaty of Amsterdam for creating an “area of freedom, security, and justice.”
In 2003, as a the result of the Union institutions and member states’ political and legislative zeal to achieve the Tampere goals, a significant and long-awaited EU document in the sphere of immigration finally saw the light of day, the Directive on Family Reunification of Third-Country Nationals. According to its Preamble, the aim is to safeguard and protect the fundamental right to family life at the Union level. In addition, the Directive is aimed at the harmonization of national legislation on the conditions for admission and residence of third-country nationals.
This article analyzes the Directive, comparing it to the 1999 Commission Proposal for the Directive for Family Reunification and tries to assess whether this document has reached the aims set and whether it is an achievement or a failure of EU immigration policy.
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