The EU as a family- friendly destination? : Family reunification rights for Indian nationals in the EU and Access of family members to the Labour Market

Abstract

This article analyses and evaluates the family reunification schemes for Indian nationals in the EU with a focus on the three EU Member States the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark from a comparative legal perspective. First, the EU legislation governing the reunification of families is examined that is applicable to third-country nationals regardless of nationality. Second, this article investigates how the national laws of the selected three Member States are designed, in which respect they are favourable or not, and whether the legal frameworks allow family members to become part of the labour force in the host Member State. These analyses allow to draw a number of conclusions as to how “family-friendly” the EU and some of its Member States present themselves, and whether the legal schemes under review promote the objective of making the EU more attractive as destination for third-country workers, including Indian nationals.