A Turkish man won a legal victory against Denmark disrupting his family reunion. The EU's top court on Thursday said that Demark had made an "unlawful" demand when the country required a language test for a Turkish worker's wife to obtain a residence permit.
In 2015, a Turkish worker living in Denmark made a request for a residence permit for his wife. The husband has worked in the country since 1980 and already has citizenship; however, her application was turned down in 2016 after her husband failed a Danish language test.
The EU Court of Justice ruled that the demand for a language test was "unlawful" because of an association agreement signed in 1980 between the European Economic Community and Türkiye. According to the deal, Türkiye and the EU are not allowed to impose additional limitations on workers' and their family members' access to employment while they are legal residents.
According to the court, the Danish language test is a "new restriction" that can only be supported by "an overriding justification in the public interest."
Restrictions on family reunification previously resulted in a decision against Denmark by the EU court in 2019.
