The ICI has secured European Commission funding to lead an 18-month project looking at how EU Member States’ family reunification laws and policies impact on integration.

Chief Executive Officer Denise Charlton said despite the EC’s desire for consistent implementation of its Family Reunification Directive, which Ireland did not opt in to, Member States’ wide interpretation and discretion have resulted in anomalies, delays, discriminatory practices and, in some case, no avenue for independent appeal against negative decisions.

Organisations in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom will take part in the project, along with the ICI.  A major aim of the project is to assess how the practical application of the law impacts on family life and compliance with EU law and human rights standards.