ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an introduction to the myriad of rules on family reunification at the European level. After discussing the two main instruments on family reunification with EU citizens (Citizens Directive) and third-country nationals (Family Reunification Directive), respectively, attention is paid to particular rules for reunification with certain economic migrants, economically active Turkish citizens and beneficiaries of temporary protection, as well as to the possibilities for reunification provided in the Dublin III Regulation for applicants for international protection. The chapter also looks into the relevance of international human rights law as well as migration and refugee law for families seeking to be (re)united.
The chapter illustrates the excessively fragmented nature of family reunification rules, as well as the limited relevance of the human right to respect for family life compared to the provisions enshrining a subjective right to family reunification in EU law.
