The Right to Family Life in the European Union

Exploring the main developments and challenges for the right to family life in the context of European integration, this book examines the right to family life in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the interplay between family life, citizenship, and free movement; it analyzes the combined impact of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights on the concept of the family protected by the law in light of recent case law. Considering the broadening understanding of what constitutes family, the challenges for the right to family life in the context of immigration, and the protection of families and social rights it provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of family life in the European Union. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Notes on contributors......Page 11 Abbreviations......Page 15 Introduction......Page 16 PART I The right to family life in Europe......Page 24 1 European Convention on Human Rights and family life. Primary issues......Page 26 2 The scope of application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights......Page 44 3 The right to family life in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights......Page 55 4 Mutual recognition of judicial decisions and the right to family life......Page 82 PART II Towards a broader understanding of the family......Page 98 5 The European courts and transsexuals. The binary distinction and the pattern of family......Page 100 6 Right to family life and access to medically assisted procreation in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights......Page 114 7 Biology-based systems of parentage and safety valves protecting social parenting......Page 130 PART III The right to family life in immigration law......Page 146 8 Family reunification: a tool to shape the concept of EU citizenship......Page 148 9 The right to family life as a bar to the expulsion of third country nationals in the European Union......Page 163 10 When there is no family: unaccompanied minors in the EU......Page 183 11 The protection of family life in the EU common policy on asylum......Page 196 PART IV Social rights and family life......Page 212 12 Moving patients and families and the social right to cross-border healthcare......Page 214 13 The right to housing and the protection of family life and vulnerable groups: European judicial activism......Page 229 14 Unjoined-up policy making and patchy promotion of gender equality: free movement and reconciliation of work and family life in the EU......Page 247 Index......Page 268